The HSBC German Film Festival returns to Brisbane from May 6 to 27 at Palace Cinemas, showcasing the very best in contemporary German language cinema.

The 2026 programme features a dynamic selection of films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including acclaimed titles from major international festivals such as Berlinale and Cannes. From compelling dramas and thought provoking stories to lighter comedies and crowd pleasers, the festival offers a rich and diverse cultural experience.

Opening Night and Closing Night events will once again provide a celebratory cinema experience, alongside a curated programme that highlights the breadth of storytelling across the German speaking world, including a dedicated spotlight on Austrian and Swiss cinema.

Whether you are a lover of film, language or European culture, the HSBC German Film Festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience contemporary cinema from this vibrant region.

The 2026 HSBC German Film Festival takes place from 6 May – 27 May
Canberra: 6 – 27 May, Palace Electric
Brisbane: 6 – 27 May, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Adelaide: 6 – 27 May, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth: 7 – 27 May, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square Sydney: 7 – 27 May, Palace Norton Street, Palace Central, Palace Moore Park Byron Bay and Ballina: 7 – 27 May, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
Melbourne: 8 – 27 May, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane
Ballarat: 8 – 27 May, Palace Regent Ballarat
www.germanfilmfestival.com.au

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Competition will be drawn May 5, winners will be notified by email.

Winner of the Caméra d’Or and Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice Award at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, writer/director THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE is a touching coming- of-age adventure set in 1990s Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein. It’s been hailed by critics worldwide and is currently sitting at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Set in 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s regime, the story follows 9-year-old Lamia, who is forced to bake a cake for her school class in celebration of the leader’s birthday amid severe economic sanctions. In search of the ingredients, Lamia sets off for the city, accompanied by her loyal best friend Saeed and pet rooster, Hindi. Together, the children weave through the bustling streets, where danger tests their courage and moments of humour and kindness spark small triumphs along the way.
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Competition will be drawn April 1, winners will be notified by email.

Bold, outrageous, and funny THE DEB is an Australian musical about two very different teenage cousins who initially clash but ultimately join forces at their town’s annual debutante ball.

It follows lovable farm girl and high-school outcast Taylah Simpkins, who is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, “the Deb,” is her one chance to redefine herself. But when her cynical city cousin Maeve is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town of Dunburn, Maeve dismisses the ball as a “heteronormative shit-show” and immediately disrupts the status quo.

In their search for the spotlight, the two girls dig deep to find self-acceptance and a date to the Deb. Directed by Rebel Wilson and starring Charlotte MacInnes, Natalie Abbott, Stevie Jean, Shane Jacobson, Tara Morice and Rebel Wilson herself, THE DEB will release in Australian cinemas from April 9 through Rialto Distribution.
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Competition will be drawn April 8, winners will be notified by email.

A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril.

As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with a young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet.

A wondrous odyssey filled with hope and optimism for our future, Arco is an enchanting fable from breakout filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, and debuted at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and won The Cristal Award for Best Feature Film at the 2025 Annecy Awards. Arco has been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
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Competition will be drawn March 12, winners will be notified by email.

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there.

As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Project Hail Mary is coming to Aussie cinemas March 19!
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Competition will be drawn March 18, winners will be notified by mail.

The story follows Will, a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world.

Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionise the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!”

Starring Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis, Aaron Pierre, Patton Oswalt, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Eduardo Franco, Sherry Cola, Jelly Roll and Jennifer Hudson.

GOAT will be released in Aussie cinemas March 12!
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Competition will be drawn Match 13, winners will be notified by mail.

SOLO MIO follows Matt Taylor (Kevin James), an earnest but heartbroken elementary school art teacher whose dream Italian wedding falls apart when his fiancée abandons him at the altar in Rome, leaving him heartbroken in the world’s happiest city.

Determined not to waste his once‑in‑a‑lifetime trip, Matt bravely embarks upon their planned honeymoon alone, embracing Italy’s vibrant culture, delicious food and breathtaking scenery. Along the way, he crosses paths with a colourful cast of fellow travellers and locals, including Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), a spirited café owner who opens his eyes to new possibilities.

What begins as a solo adventure soon becomes a journey of self‑discovery, friendship and unexpected romance as Matt learns that sometimes life’s greatest stories start with a detour.
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Competition will be drawn February 25, winners will be notified by email.

A group of high school misfits inadvertently come across an ancient Aztec death whistle. Blowing it summons their future deaths to hunt them down. As the body count increases, they investigate the artifact’s history in hopes of halting the sequence of events they have set into motion.

Directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun), it stars Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Michelle Fairley and Nick Frost.
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Competition will be drawn February 11, winners will be notified by email.

Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favourite movie: the cinematic “classic” Anaconda.

When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed……
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Competition will be drawn December 22, winners will be notified by mail.

The Housemaid is a wildly entertaining thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, based on the best-selling book. From director Paul Feig, the film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems.

Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power.

Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end. In Cinemas December 26.
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Competition will be drawn December 22, winners will be notified by mail.