The Pope is in town and the night of his stay is anything but heavenly for some of Berlin′s inhabitants. Rich and poor, down-and-outs and policemen, street kids and taxi drivers - in their search for a little bit of happiness, they all end up on an amusing and at times harrowing odyssey through the labyrinth of the big city.
After police officer Jan Wiegand is critically injured in action, public prosecutor Judith Schrader throws herself into the fight against organized crime in Berlin. But she would actually have to give up the case, as she has a secret relationship with the married victim.
Photographer Anja Niedringhaus was 26 when she came to Sarajevo in 1992 to report on the war. It's bitterly cold there, there's no electricity, hardly any food, and everyone's lives are constantly in danger. Spanish photographer Sergio takes her under his wing and shows her how to survive in a war zone. Anja reported on the scene with interruptions for almost three years, later she worked in Kosovo and Afghanistan, among other places. In 2001 she switched to the most renowned photo agency in the world, the Associated Press . Her photos end up on the front pages of the major international newspapers, and in 2005 she received the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting from Iraq. In Kabul, she meets the AP's chief correspondent, Kathy Gannon, and the two soon become an inseparable team. But then a devastating attack took place during the Afghan presidential elections in 2014.
Bente, a school dropout, was a foster child on the Strand family's remote farm. Forensic medicine finds a key in Bente's stomach. Where was the girl going with two cans of gasoline? Why did the local gas station attendant sell her gasoline even though it was known that she was an arsonist? Which lock does this key fit into? Local policeman Lars Klapproth might be able to contribute to solving the case, but he does not. Because Lars is the father of Maria's missing daughter Matilde. He had made the toddler disappear with the help of GDR state agencies during the reunification period. When Maria, who had fled the republic, returned to get her daughter shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Matilde had already been adopted and could not be found.
Insults, humiliation, violence, sexual assault - the world behind the camera and the scenes can be a nightmare for many theater and film professionals. Apparently there is a real climate of fear in some film and theater productions. Some directors, but also well-known actors, apparently abuse their power and treat those around them on set or on stage with contempt or even abuse. Individual cases have been known for years, including under #metoo. But are they really isolated cases? Or can directors and actors allow themselves anything because the system allows it? In their three-year research, the documentary filmmakers spoke to more than 200 film and theater professionals about the problems in their industry. How much responsibility do the alleged perpetrators bear for abuse of power and how much responsibility does the financiers, production companies, broadcasters and also the audience bear?
Richard, an artist, now lives in Tangier. With his help, the young Moroccan Malik manages to reach Europe, the destination of his dreams. That's where Mathilda, a conservative politician, hides him. Amina, Mathilda's assistant, who finally wants to leave her Moroccan roots behind, is called in as a "mediator" to resolve the problem.
As soon as Jaswinder, the mother of Alice's friend Tarun, discovered a way to avoid plastic, it is attacked and the documents about it, which are also top secret, stolen. Shortly thereafter, it also disappears without a trace. Alice, as the remaining peppercorn, searches for clues and comes across toxic waste companies who want to prevent the documents from being published at all costs. Will you take Alice to Jaswinder ...?
With his uncouth manner, Professor Pohl doesn’t enjoy the best reputation at the university where he works. To make matters worse, he makes a racist remark when student Naima arrives late for his lecture. Unfortunately for him, a video of his verbal outburst spreads like wildfire on the Internet, and the university’s president, Lambrecht, is called to deal with the incident. But Pohl is not dismissed. Instead, he is put to the task of helping Naima prepare for an important debating competition. The lecturer and the student could not be more different, yet they are thrown together to work as a team.
In a typically mixed Baghdadi neighbourhood in 2006, a community of ordinary people try to live their everyday lives amidst the threat of unpredictable violence. At the heart of these intersecting stories we find Sara, a single mother and novelist, who regains her will to write after witnessing the forced exile of her Christian neighbour and best friend Sabiha. With the news of Saddam Hussein's sudden execution shortly before the New Year, Sara and her neighbours brace themselves for an uncertain future. Yet, like a miracle, each is able to sustain a fragile sense of hope.
In the aftermath of a bloody gang war, the youngest daughter of the victorious Arab clan begins to plot against the men of her family. She kills brothers, nephews, friends and enemies, until she is the undisputed boss of the Berlin underworld. But on her path to the top, she has made powerful enemies...
A wide variety of Iraqis in exile meet at Café Abu Nawas in London, including the architect Amal, the poet Taufiq and the gay IT specialist Muhannad. They all want to finally feel free in London - something that was denied them in their homeland. But adversity threatens...
It is shortly after the fall of the Wall and Kadir is released from an East Berlin psychiatric clinic. Resolved to begin life over again in Germany, he soon has to accept that there is no longer a place for him.
The death of a young Arab man during a police stop in Berlin sparks three interconnected and tragic episodes: two young Afro-Germans struggle to channel their rage; the victim’s mother, torn by grief, feels compelled to defend her son’s honour; and a group of police officers, trapped in routine and clouded by prejudice, make a series of misguided decisions amid the city’s charged atmosphere.