Film Festival

The Door-To-Door Bookstore: German Film Festival 2025

The Door-to-Door Bookstore

The Door-to-Door Bookstore Rating

★★★★★

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This heartwarming film is a beautiful reminder of the goodness in humanity and the power of unlikely friendships (and books!).

Based on the novel of the same name by Carston Henn, the story follows Carl, an older gentleman. Carl’s job involves walking around the town (in Aachen, Germany), delivering books to a variety of interesting people.

Carl is an awkward, shy, but kind man, drenched in loneliness, and obsessed by books. So much so, that he refers to his regular clients by the nicknames he has (sometimes not so secretly) ascribed to them; based on fictional book characters, who each have their own quirks.

Nine-year-old Schascha has just moved to the town. In dealing with her own sadness in losing her mother, she also finds solace in books and reading.

The Door-to-Door Bookstore
The Door-to-Door Bookstore

Schascha begins to follow Carl on his daily book delivery, and an unlikely friendship develops. The two main characters end up working together to make some big, positive changes in the lives of the people Carl delivers his books to. As well as for themselves.

This enchanting story is full of themes of friendship, community, and embracing differences. It highlights the importance of kindness in humanity and community, and is a great reminder of the power of books and reading.

This is a wonderful film that the whole family will enjoy! The acting is brilliant from the entire cast. The cinematography is stunning for what is in essence quite a simple but powerful story of humanity.

Note that the film is in German, with subtitles in English.

The German Film Festival runs from 30 April to 28 May. To book tickets to The Door-to-Door Bookstore, or to any other films in the festival, please visit https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/.

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Persian Film Festival: The Great Yawn of History

The Great Yawn of History

The Great Yawn of History Rating

★★★★★

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The Great Yawn of History is a multi-layered debut piece written and directed by Aliyar Rasti, featuring as part of the 11th Persian Film Festival, Australia. Opening in Sydney and then touring both Melbourne and Armidale from the 24th of April to the 11th of May 2025, the program includes an official competition of feature and short film categories, which culminates in the Festival Jury presenting the Golden Gazelle Award to the best film in each section.

The Great Yawn of History
The Great Yawn of History

Staring Mohammed Aghebati known for When There Were Trees (2023) A Hero (2021), They (2018) and as the Director for 1001 Frames (2025), and Amirhossein Hosseini, an Iranian actor and visual artist, known for his diverse performances in cinema and theatre, The Great Yawn of History follows the journey of Beitollah (Mohammed Aghebati), a religious man who experiences constant and vivid dreams of finding gold coins at the end of a dark cave.

His religious beliefs mean that recovery of this lost treasure is haram, or more specifically, ‘sinful’, and therefore religiously forbidden in Islam. Due to this, Beitollah engages the assistance of the agnostic Shoja (Amirhossein Hosseini) to travel with him as he grapples with his ethical, moral and religious beliefs.

Throughout their journey, both actors bring different energies to the roles as they unpack the complex and specific character types – Aghebati expertly delivers an overbearing, sharp and to-the-point performance while Hosseini’s burdened posture translates into a believable portrayal of the worn-out and sceptical companion.

The Great Yawn of History
The Great Yawn of History

Iran’s staggering unemployment is also reflected in the manner in which Shoja is chosen for the task as Beitollah drops fake $100 bills on the street knowing that only a non-believer would pick up money found in this way, leading to the paradox lying at the heart of the storytelling – a contrasting moral dilemma – just the thing needed to ensure a successful and purposeful outcome.

Rasti combines faith and superstition with visually engaging cinematography that effectively displays the harsh landscape of Iran, providing the viewer with insight into its reality. Some prior knowledge of the Muslim religious belief system may be advantageous for a deeper connection to this meditative journey; however, this is not a ‘must’ to be able to discern the conflict of the opposing beliefs that are portrayed in this partnership and journey.

The Great Yawn of History is a slow and steady burn full of multidimensional layers.

The Persian Film Festival will run from 24 April to 11 May 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne, and Armidale. For session details and to book tickets to this and other films, please visit https://www.persianfilmfestival.com.

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Tatami – Presented By The Persian Film Festival

Tatami

Tatami Rating

★★★★★

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1

TATAMI is the first feature film co-directed by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers. It had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2nd, 2023 and received very positive reviews from the critics and audience. It is currently part of the 11th Persian Film Festival, which is being held until the 11th of May 2025.

The program of the festival includes a competition in feature, documentary and short film categories where the festival jury will present the Golden Gazelle Award to the best film in each section. The festival opened in Sydney and will tour to Melbourne and Armidale. TATAMI could be called a meditation upon the possible role international sports could play in world politics. It’s co-directed by Zar Amir and Guy Nattiv.

Guy Nattiv is an Israeli who lives and works in the United States. His film Skin won an Oscar for best short film at the 91st Academy Awards, and he is one of only three Israeli directors to have won an Academy Award.

Tatami
Tatami

Zar Amir Ebrhimi is an Iranian and French actress, producer and director. She rose to international prominence for her performance as journalist Arezoo Rahimi in the crime thriller Holy Spider in 2022, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and the Robert Award for Best Actress as well. In 2022, she appeared on the BBC’s 100 Women list as one of the world’s inspiring and influential women of the year.

The film follows Iranian female judoka Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, and her coach Maryam, played by co-director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, as they travel to the World Judo Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Both Leila and her coach are initially intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. But doing so includes the possibility of an encounter with an Israeli athlete, which is something the Mullah regime of the Islamic Republic prohibits.

Midway through the competition, Leila and her coach receive repeated threats from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and drop out of the tournament. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila faces a difficult choice: feign injury and comply with the Iranian regime as her coach implores or defy them and fight for the gold.

Tatami
Tatami

As an analogy for the differentiation between enemies and rivals, the story paints a poignant picture. Enemies want you to die. Rivals want you to become better, so the challenge would be worthwhile. Adding to that, since TATAMI has been co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian it is a great piece of art reflecting what life could be if we all had our heads on right. Also, the film is shown in black and white, which lends a sombre tone, without sounding preachy.

I recommend this film, and I give it a big thumbs-up. Five stars out of five for me.

The Persian Film Festival will run from 24 April to 11 May 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne, and Armidale. For session details and to book tickets to Tatami and other films, please visit https://www.persianfilmfestival.com/.

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Hysteria – A Thriller That Burns Through the Lies

Hysteria

Hysteria Rating

★★★★★

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The German Film Festival previewed at Palace Cinemas with the Australian première of Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s Hysteria. This 104-minute political thriller left the crowd hushed and visibly rattled on the way out. On a film set that unravels after a burned Quran is discovered, Hysteria is equal parts whodunnit, social essay, and psychological pressure cooker.

Büyükatalay wastes no time striking the match. When the sacred text is smouldering among the props, blame ricochets between the director, the star, a slippery producer and a van-load of asylum-seeker extras. Class, faith and power lines are drawn in seconds; alliances fray just as quickly. This film proves you don’t need a big budget to create tension. The tension comes from the people, not the pyrotechnics.

One of Hysteria’s thrills (and frustrations) is its refusal to hand you a neat answer. Every scene forces you to ask: whose version of events do I believe, and what does that say about me? Büyükatalay is less interested in solving the mystery than in showing how easily images of “the Other” override the human being standing before us. That makes for an unsettling watch, but it’s precisely the point. Cineuropa praised the film’s “important inquiry into the representation of migrant minorities”, even as it noted the narrative leaves viewers “confused”. Confusion about how you want the story to pan out and who turns out to be the protagonist and the antagonist.

Hysteria
Hysteria

As a 24-year-old intern, Elif Devrim Lingnau anchors the film with wide-eyed resolve that gradually hardens into fury. Refugee extra Said (Mehdi Meskar) and Director Yigit (Serkan Kaya) spar with her in tightly coiled exchanges that feel one breath away from violence. Nicolette Krebitz steals scenes as a calculating producer who knows exactly how far an image can travel once uploaded. The casting is strong, there are no weak links.

The use of close-ups in Hysteria traps the audience inside green-screen warehouses and cramped caravans. The pacing is fast; the 104 minutes fly by. Cinematographer Julian Krubasik ensures we feel connected to every character in every shot.

This film may leave you feeling cold if you love films that end all tied up neatly with a little bow. Hysteria is a must-see for viewers who relish cinema that sends them out into the foyer to debate morality, identity, and media manipulation. Behind every flame lies a darker truth.

Büyükatalay’s sophomore feature doesn’t just hold up a mirror; it shatters it, then asks us to pick up the shards and see which reflection we choose. Catch it while the German Film Festival programme runs nationwide, and check session times via the Palace Cinemas website. Take a friend; you’ll need someone to argue with on the tram ride home.

The HSBC German Film Festival presented by Palace runs from 2 May – 21 May, in association with German Films. In 2025, the festival will showcase the best contemporary German cinema direct from major festivals in Europe, plus a selection from its German-speaking neighbours, Austria and Switzerland.

To book tickets to Hysteria, or for date and session information for any other films in the festival, please visit https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/.

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