Australia's only dedicated German-language cinema celebration, the 2026 HSBC German Film Festival, is returning nationally this May.
Running from 6 May to 27 May, the 2026 HSBC German Film Festival is bringing a cracking lineup to Palace Cinemas, Palace Nova and Luna Palace Cinemas across the country.
Presented by Palace and German Films, this year’s program spans powerful dramas, true-life stories, comedy and family fare; something for pretty much everyone.
2026 HSBC German Film Festival
- Canberra: 6–27 May, Palace Electric
- Brisbane: 6–27 May, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
- Adelaide: 6–27 May, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
- Perth: 7–27 May, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square
- Sydney: 7–27 May, Palace Norton Street, Palace Central, Palace Moore Park
- Byron Bay and Ballina: 7–27 May, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
- Melbourne: 8–27 May, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane
- Ballarat: 8–27 May, Palace Regent Ballarat
- Tickets available early April
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Centrepiece film is Amrum, the latest from multi award-winning director Fatih Akin. Set in 1945, it follows 12-year-old Nanning, a boy living on Amrum Island during the final days of the war; hunting seals, fishing at night and working the farm to help his mother keep things afloat.
Life on the windswept island has its own kind of beauty, but when peace arrives, it brings a threat far closer to home than anyone expected. Starring Laura Tonke, Diane Kruger and Matthias Schweighöfer alongside a standout debut from young lead Jasper Billerbeck, the film is based on the real-life story of co-writer Hark Bohm.
Also landing as Special Presentation is Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen), a Cannes Film Festival Jury Award winner directed by Mascha Schilinski. Four girls, four generations, one farm in northern Germany; it’s a poetic, sensory epic that also happens to be Germany’s entry into the 2026 Academy Awards.
From Switzerland comes Hello Betty (Hallo Betty), a warm, funny period piece set in 1956. It tells the story of Emmi Creola, a sharp copywriter who invents a fictional housewife named Betty Bossi to get ahead in a male-dominated workplace, only to watch her creation become Switzerland’s most beloved culinary icon. It’s a sharp look at female ambition, identity and the gap between public persona and private life.
Families are well catered for through the Kino for Kids sidebar, presented by the Goethe-Institut Australia. Highlights include The Secret Floor (Das geheime Stockwerk), an Austrian time-travel adventure set in a mysterious Alpine hotel; the fourth instalment of the beloved School of Magical Animals franchise; Barry & Me (Mein Freund Barry), a live-action adventure inspired by Switzerland’s most famous rescue dog, the St. Bernard; and Pumuckl’s Big Mix-Up (Pumuckl und das große Missverständnis), a charming live-action and animation combo featuring the legendary Munich goblin character first created in 1961.
Rounding out the kids’ program is Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave (Ab morgen bin ich mutig), a tender and funny coming-of-age story about tween angst and young love.
Full program details and tickets go on sale in early April.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Palace Cinemas.
