Berlin & Beyond returns to Rialto Cinemas Elmwood on March 22 & 23, showcasing four films. Now in its 30th anniversary season, the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival continues to be a leading light of contemporary German and European cinema exhibition in the Americas, by both audience size and programming scope. Through the many years, over 500 motion pictures from German-speaking countries, produced in over 30 different countries, have screened at Berlin & Beyond to over 200,000 attendees, from independent works to studio pictures to topical documentaries and shorts from the filmmakers of tomorrow.
Greetings From Mars
Sunday, March 22 10:15am
Not Rated
85 mins
Comedy, Drama, Family
When his mother unexpectedly has to go on a work assignment to China, 10-year-old Tom, an autistic boy who loves space and who often wears his astronaut suit during challenging moments, is sent to his grandparents’ house in the country with his two older siblings. To help him cope with the change, his mother gives him a logbook and encourages him to treat it as a mission to Mars, which leads him to a remarkable discovery. Through animation, the film invites audiences into Tom’s unique perspective, exploring neurodiversity, coping with change, and the bonds of family. (Recommended for ages 8+)…MORE INFO
Köln 75
Sunday, March 22 1:45pm
Not Rated
112 mins
Biography, Drama, Music
Keith Jarrett’s legendary performance in January 1975 nearly didn’t happen. Based on a true story, Köln 75 follows how the concert was conceived and orchestrated by the efforts of a teenage up and coming concert promoter, Vera Brandes, (played by German actress Mala Emde). Her enthusiasm set her to multitasking – from organizing the concert venue (the Cologne Opera House), promoting the event, and selling the tickets, to convincing Jarrett to perform when he almost dropped out when the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano he was promised was nowhere to be found. John Magaro plays Jarrett with his own intensity, a sublime counterpoint to Mala Emde’s joyful portrayal of the enthusiastic and unstoppable Vera. Köln 75 captures the compelling, entertaining and, until now, unknown back story about Jarrett’s one-hour, entirely improvised concert, which became the best-selling solo album in jazz history…MORE INFO
A Land Within
Sunday, March 22 4:45pm
Not Rated
112 mins
Drama
South Tyrol, 1961. The northern Italian region with a German-speaking minority is shaken by a series of separatist bomb attacks. Free spirit Paul wants to escape the narrowness and lack of prospects of his little village and study painting in Munich. When his hardliner brother, Anton, becomes a fugitive terrorist, Paul reluctantly puts his own plans on hold to support his brother’s wife, Anna, and their little son on the small farm. As ethnic tensions and police repression in the village grow, Paul gets drawn into a downward spiral of violence and toxic masculinity. Anna openly condemns the radicalization of her husband but increasingly clashes with the patriarchal structures of the time. When events spin out of control, Paul must choose between following his dream and standing up against violence and his brother…MORE INFO
The Frog and the Water
Monday, March 23 1:45pm
Not Rated
100 mins
Comedy
Buschi’s daily routine in an assisted living facility leaves no room for surprises. Seeking change, he seizes the chance to leave a group outing behind and joins a tour of Japanese tourists traveling through Germany. Having lived his entire life without speaking, on this unusual trip, he forms a wordless friendship with Hideo — a man on a journey of his own — creating a bond that goes beyond words and starts an unexpected adventure….MORE INFO
22 Lengths
Monday, March 23 4:00pm
Not Rated
102 mins
Drama
Based on the bestselling novel by Caroline Wahl: Tilda’s days are strictly regimented: studying, working at the supermarket checkout, swimming, looking after her little sister Ida – and on bad days, her mother too. The three of them live together in a small town that Tilda hates. Her friends are long gone, living in Amsterdam or Berlin; only Tilda has stayed back. Because someone has to be there for Ida, earn money, take responsibility. There is no father to speak of, and her mother is an alcoholic. But one day, things start to change: Tilda is offered the prospect of a PhD position in Berlin, and a future that promises freedom begins to shine. And Viktor appears, the big brother of Ivan, whom Tilda lost five years earlier. Viktor, who – just like her – always swims 22 lengths. But just as Tilda begins to believe that everything could turn out well, the situation at home spirals completely out of control…MORE INFO
Mirrors No. 3
Monday, March 23 6:45pm
Not Rated
86 mins
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
During a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura, a young piano student from Berlin, miraculously survives a shocking car crash. Awakening in a nearby house, Laura finds herself in the care of a local woman, who tends to her with motherly devotion. As she recuperates, Laura begins to integrate herself into the lives of the woman and her initially reluctant husband and son. By turns haunted and hopeful, Laura and her adopted family reawaken to the world and come to find a strange harmony together. However, they cannot outrun the ghosts of the past, which begin to stir, as acclaimed director Christian Petzold (Phoenix, Transit) spins a modern gothic fairytale about the lies we tell ourselves and the strange ways that grief, connection, and humanity bind and sustain us.” World Premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2025 Festival de Cannes and screened this autumn at the Toronto and New York film festivals…MORE INFO