Lots of Love
Film Series

Whether in the form of friendship, duty or loyalty – love is much more than just a romantic feeling. Over the course of twelve months, our film series will paint a multifaceted picture of people who find and stand by each other.

Goethe on Demand: Filmseries “Lots of Love” (Key Visual) – The graphic contains four film stills: 1. Three people hugging; 2. A man and a woman kissing; 3. A boy sitting alone on an overturned sofa; 4. A man and a woman sitting next to each other, she wearing a white veil. © Salzgeber / Sehr Gute Filme / SiMa Film / DEFA-Stiftung, Herbert Kroiss, Manfred Damm

From grand gestures to small moments – hardly any film doesn’t touch on the theme of love. Yet love is much more than a romantic feeling. Love means devotion, trust and responsibility.

Our reality and the media are currently dominated by wars, crises and political upheaval. Society is more polarised than ever, with hate and agitation part of everyday media life. The film series Lots of Love aims to counter the bad news with a ray of light, at least on screen, showing the most beautiful feeling in the world in many different facets – romantic love stories, unconventional relationships, stories of care, friendship and loyalty.

Over a period of twelve months, the film series Lots of Love will share love stories with us and show how people find and stand by each other despite what may divide them.

September

Raw Materials

Director: Tuna Kaptan
Year: 2023
Genre: Drama
Length: 86 min.

During a luxury construction project, an illegally employed worker is killed. Site manager Lutz covers up the accident, but the victim’s daughter is desperately searching for her father. An ambivalent relationship develops, revolving around guilt, responsibility and unexpected intimacy.

Scene from the film “Raw Materials” Photo (detail): © Ben Bernhard / Wood Water Films Photo (detail): © Ben Bernhard / Wood Water Films

  • October

    Beyond the Blue Border

    Director: Sarah Neumann
    Year: 2024
    Genre: Drama
    Length: 105 min.

    Swimming 50 kilometres across the Baltic Sea – Hanna crosses the inter-German border for her best friend Andreas. This dramatic adventure tells the story of a close friendship under the burden of harsh repression in the GDR.

    Scene from the film “Beyond the Blue Border” Photo (detail): © Jakob Fliedner Photo (detail): © Jakob Fliedner

  • November

    The Legend of Paul and Paula

    Director: Heiner Carow
    Year: 1973
    Genre: Drama
    Length: 105min.

    Paula is a single mother and falls in love with the discontented political
    functionary Paul. She is determined to find her happiness, while Paul hesitates at
    first. The DEFA classic is a plea for the right to individual happiness in a socialist
    state.

    Scene from the film “The Legend of Paul and Paula” © DEFA-Stiftung/Herbert Kroiss, Manfred Damm © DEFA-Stiftung/Herbert Kroiss, Manfred Damm

  • December

    Happy

    Director: Carolin Genreith
    Year: 2016
    Genre: Documentary
    Length: 89 min.

    Year after year, to escape his loneliness, Dieter Genreith travels to Thailand. It was there that he met Tukta, who is about the same age as Carolin, Dieter’s daughter. In her very personal documentary, the director attempts to understand her father’s new life.

    Scene from the film “Happy” Photo (detail): © CORSO Film- und Fernsehproduktion Photo (detail): © CORSO Film- und Fernsehproduktion