Germany

The New York–based artist Jem Cohen has created a distinctive yet diverse body of work and ranges from music videos for the bands Fugazi and R.E.M. to installations, narrative features, and documentaries. With his latest feature, Museum Hours, Cohen makes a major leap into what he calls the “in-between” film, a genre that straddles the modes of drama and personal essay.

A haunting meditation on the aftermath of modern warfare, Lessons of Darkness is set amidst the blazing oil fields of Kuwait at the end of the first Gulf War. Herzog reimagines the scene using a science-fiction scenario crafted from a mix of his inimitable voiceover narrations, passages of classical music, and stunning aerial footage of this otherworldly setting.

Up for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and filled with twists and turns, In The Fog is at its core a tale of one honest man trapped in an unjust world. Sushenya, a tortured soul in occupied USSR, is accused of a crime he didn’t commit and a secret collaboration that never took place. An entire town becomes suspicious of Sushenya, after he is inexplicably spared from execution for sabotaging a rail line.

It’s not easy being the son of a Viking chief. Gifted with brains but not brawn, Wickie’s not sure he’ll ever feel like a ‘real Viking’. But when his father is kidnapped by Sven the Terrible, Wickie gets his chance. Sailing his crew to the Cape of Fear, Wickie is determined to rescue his father and to follow the runes of a mysterious book leading to the Palace of Eternal Ice, and the Treasure of the Gods. The Mighty Vikings venture to the legendary locale where powerful riddles protect the treasure.

German-Turkish director Fatih Akin returns to his grandparents’ hometown, Çamburnu, to find the Turkish government has turned the neighboring area into a giant provincial landfill. Akin interviews locals and collects hundreds of photos over five years, documenting the impact this ecological mess has had on a Black Sea community that depends so heavily on fishing and tea leaf harvests for its livelihood. Polluting Paradise is a heartbreaking documentary that perfectly illustrates globalization’s dangerous side effects.

They’re back! Catch up with the latest adventure of the coolest gang, the Crocodiles! The final film in the multi-award-winning trilogy (based on Max von der Grun’s popular 1977 book) ups the ante with awesome new headquarters, high speed go kart action, and an ingenious (and crazy) life-saving rescue. Fans of this series won’t be disappointed--adorable Hannes and his scruffy gang meet every challenge in the name of loyalty to each other and The Crocodiles!

Preceded by The Capsule

Jens Kessler, an RAF fighter who recently was released from prison after serving an 18-year sentence, attempts to spend his first free weekend reconnecting with family and friends. But the homecoming celebration is abruptly cut short. Attending the party is Jens’ former lover, Inga and her husband, who together rekindle his earlier aggressive passions, and start him on a hunt for the person who first turned him in to the police. The Weekend is a tense, morally-complex thriller with a not-to be missed finale.

After a tragic accident he’d just as soon forget, Nihat takes a post at a forest watchtower, where he meets a student who’s also on the run from a dark past. Over time the two become close, only to have their histories threaten to tear them apart. Through vivid character study, this slow burner from Pelin Esmer (10 to 11) observes the myriad challenges faced by a country unsure of its place in the world.

This eerie, existential drama based on the German bestseller follows a middle-aged woman and her dog who, during a short mountain getaway, become trapped by an invisible force field and have to fend for themselves. Martina Gedeck (The Lives of Others) puts in a brilliant performance as the isolated protagonist struggling for both answers and survival. As months go by, she settles into her new life, until an unexpected visit turns her world upside down.