Wunderbar: A Celebration of German Films
February 5, 2019

The 69th annual Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany was last week. Couldn’t make it to the German Hauptstadt this year to partake in the festivities? No problem! Let the superbly-curated digital event series Wunderbarfilms transport you there. During the year-long Wunderbar Together celebration of the German-American friendship, the Goethe-Institut in partnership with Kanopy has gifted Americans with access to 48 of Germany’s best and most impressive lineup of classic and contemporary German cinema online for free. Yes, you read that right. 48 German films are available for free for an entire year. Sign-up is incredibly easy, and after logging in, visitors can peruse a la Netflix style through a menu of movie options.
Well-received since its inception in October 2018, the Wunderbarfilms portal on Kanopy continues to attract thousands of viewers and armchair-cinema connoisseurs each month. Top contenders to check out include Victoria (2015), a stunningly shot crime-thriller about a Spanish girl in Berlin and her encounter with the dangers of street life there. There’s also East-West melodrama Barbara (2012), about a doctor who, after requesting to leave East Berlin, finds herself banished to a small town in East Germany, reckoning with GDR oppression and the hard choices dealt to her.
With awards season gearing up for another exciting year, watching what Wunderbarfilms has to offer is an excellent way to get into the spirit. Victoria, for example, won a Silver Bear in 2015 for Best Cinematography, and was praised for its one-take technical achievement in both Europe and the U.S. Barbara has also been nominated for a Silver Bear, with several other German films receiving Oscar nominations at the Academy Awards over the years.
With a world of such cinematic greats all right at your fingertips, we’re certain there is something for everyone to enjoy – whatever your cup of tea, or coffee.
How to Watch: visit www.kanopy.com/goethe, sign up, log in, kick back, and enjoy!
Runs from October 2018 until November 2019.
For more information visit www.events.wunderbartogether.org
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