Prepare to experience some of Germany’s best films at KinoFest 2025.
The annual German film festival will happen from October 16 to 19 at the Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet Cinemas. This year boasts of a diverse line-up of films that showcases drama, animation, thriller, comedy, adventure, and documentary.
There are eight (8) contemporary German films and five (5) Filipino short films — all fostering a vibrant exchange between two dynamic cinema cultures. These titles tackle themes of memory, reimagining, and the confrontation of perspectives, while also exploring family, belonging, and care.
The opening film, Riefenstahl by Andres Veiel, centers on filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl who made Nazi propaganda films in the 1930s yet denies any connection to the Nazis. The screening will be followed by a hybrid Q&A with renowned producer Sandra Maischberger.
One of the highlights this year is KinoFest Special: Stories Across Continents on October 18, 2025 where five Filipino short films will be screened plus a talkback session with filmmakers Krystahl Guina, Miko Reyes, Carl Joseph Lara, and Whammy Alcazaren.
The closing film, Vena, will also feature an in-person talk with producer Svenja Vanhoeffer.
Screenings are free.
Here is the line-up of KinoFest 2025:
Another German Tank Story
While Hollywood is filming a series about WWII in the small village of Wiesenwalde, the villagers are chasing their dreams until a sudden power outage risks ruining their plans and a tank appears in front of the mayor’s house.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 3:00 PM
From Hilde, with Love
In 1942 Berlin, a couple’s passion makes them forget about the war and joins a resistance group, until they are arrested.
Screenings: October 17, Friday, 3:30 PM | October 18, Saturday, 5:15 PM
Giants of La Mancha
Alfonso, 11 years old, is the rightful heir to Don Quixote and is constantly protecting his beloved town from monsters only he can see.
Screenings: October 18, Saturday, 1:00 PM | October 19, Sunday, 1:00 PM
Köln 75
Tells the true story of Vera Brandes who risks everything to bring Keith Jarrett to the Cologne Opera House, which leads to the best-selling solo jazz and piano album of all time.
Screenings: October 17, Friday, 6:00 PM | October 18, Saturday, 7:00 PM
Riefenstahl
Explores the possibilities of truths of the Nazi propaganda filmmaker who got away with it through archival interviews.
Screenings: October 16, Thursday, 6:00 PM | October 19, Sunday, 8:15 PM
The Light
Based in Berlin, the Engels family sets out on a journey into the unknown by the arrival of the mysterious housekeeper, Farrah.
Screening: October 17, Friday, 8:30 PM
Vena
Living in a drug-fueled bubble, Jenny is reluctant to be a mother especially with a pending jail sentence. Until she meets Marla, her midwife.
Screenings: October 17, Friday, 1:00 PM | October 19, Sunday, 5:00 PM
Woodwalkers
13-year old Carag can shapeshift into a puma. Together with his friends, he must learn to control his powers and protect the world of Woodwalkers.
Screenings: October 18, Saturday, 3:30 PM | October 19, Sunday, 3:30 PM
Baradiya
A young Filipino trans woman faces destiny and spiritual past amid the destruction of her ancestral land.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 6:00 PM
Ngatta Nadakki y Nuang?
Oyo returns to his hometown in Cagayan in search of a carabao before he finally migrates to another country.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 6:00 PM
Rumbles of the Earth
13-year-old Munya investigates the disappearance of her mother after a solar eclipse and the cases of missing people during earthquakes in Mindanao.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 6:00 PM
Sa Ilalum sa Balabal sa Alitaptap
Joy faces a menacing land grabber who violently coerces her grandfather into selling their ancestral land.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 6:00 PM
Water Sports
Sad boys Ipe and Jelson harness the power of their love in an attempt to survive a world devastated by climate change.
Screening: October 18, Saturday, 6:00 PM
KinoFest 2025 is jointly organized by eight Goethe-Instituts in Southeast Asia and New Zealand and made possible in Manila through the partnership with Shangri-La Plaza Red Carpet Cinemas under the Culture in Focus program, with support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
