The Goethe-Institut brings back KinoFest, its annual German film festival, for its fifth edition from October to November 2026 across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In Manila, the festival runs from October 15 to 18, 2026, at GH Ortigas Cinema, Greenhills Mall, offering Filipino audiences a selection of recent films from Germany’s contemporary cinema scene.
This year’s program looks at the spaces, relationships, and circumstances that shape people’s lives, from family and work to communities and inherited histories. Through stories about faith, memory, justice, care, and belonging, the films explore how people navigate realities that are often shaped by forces beyond their control while searching for ways to define their own lives.
Opening KinoFest 2026 is Rose (2026), the latest film by Markus Schleinzer, starring award-winning actress Sandra Hüller. Shot in striking black and white, the film follows a woman seeking to determine her own future within the restrictions of a historical society, exploring identity, freedom, and self-determination.
The festival’s main lineup features I Understand Your Displeasure (Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut), Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen), In Good Faith (Gotteskinder), Prosecution (Staatsschutz), Trial of Hein (Der Heimatlose), The Family Approach (Im Prinzip Familie), Circusboy (Zirkuskind), Luisa, and Heidi – Rescue of the Lynx (Heidi – Rettung der Luchse).
The Manila program will also feature KinoFest Special: Intersections on October 17 at 4 p.m. in Cinema 1 at GH Ortigas Cinema. The special program brings contemporary Philippine cinema into conversation with the German lineup through Invisible Labor by Joanne Cesario, Raging (Rumaragasa) by Ryan Machado, and the Philippine premiere of Body Count by Cris Bringas.
The three films explore themes including memory, labor, trauma, intimacy, and place, creating a cross-cultural dialogue around experiences that extend beyond national and geographic boundaries. The screening will be followed by an in-person talkback with the filmmakers, moderated by Julian Fuchs, Director of the Goethe-Institut Philippines.
Jointly organized by the Goethe-Instituts in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, KinoFest 2026 continues the institution’s commitment to using film as a platform for intercultural dialogue. By bringing German and Filipino stories together, the festival invites audiences to consider different perspectives on belonging, relationships, resilience, and the possibilities people imagine for their future.
All Manila screenings will take place from October 15 to 18, 2026, at GH Ortigas Cinema, Greenhills Mall, in Cinema 1 and The Screening Room. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets may be claimed at the KinoFest booth near Cinema 1 beginning one hour before each screening.
For full program details, visit: http://www.goethe.de/manila/kinofest
