Guest: Menno van Dyke, jury member of the European Youth Circus

In 2013, Gravity & Other Myths performed for eight audience members at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; they thought it would be their final performance. Just nine years later, the company is performing at the same venue in front of 25,000 people—and has since given nearly 3,000 performances in 39 countries: in Macau and São Paulo, Kochi, Korea, South Africa, and Singapore.

The documentary by Grimme Award winner Ilka Franzmann captures the acrobats at the height of their success. Through gripping, deeply personal scenes, it paints a vibrant, captivating portrait of a troupe of friends. Alongside the effervescent energy on stage, it showcases their irrepressible joy of performing, world-class acrobatics—and grueling hard work. In rehearsal spaces, backstage, and on tour, it captures moments of high artistic standards, uninhibited silliness, and deep camaraderie.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Menno van Dyke, a longtime juggler at the Tigerpalast in Frankfurt and now director of the Circusstad Festival in Rotterdam, discussing the evolution of the circus and the differences and similarities between traditional and contemporary circus.

Germany 2026, 91 minutes, FSK: unrated, original version

In this fun, hosted silent film program for the whole family, we present a variety of short films from the early days of cinema. There’s plate juggling, dancing on roller skates, intricate human pyramids, and magic tricks. Even after more than 100 years, they still amaze, thrill, and—above all—make you laugh!

Live music by and featuring Barbara Lenz (piano)
Hosted by Johanna Metzler, Kommunales Kino Freiburg

The documentary offers a glimpse into the daily life of 11-year-old Santino, who leads a life completely different from that of most children in the audience: He sleeps with his younger brother Giordano in their own train car, spends his days in a meadow in the towns where the circus is currently performing, and even goes to school—though usually only for a week or two at the same school—before moving on with his family. Santino plays hide-and-seek with his brother between the big top and the animal enclosures and regularly visits his great-grandfather, one of Germany’s last great circus directors, whom everyone simply calls “Grandpa Ehe.”

Germany 2025, 86 minutes, FSK: 0 and up, recommended for ages 7 and up

With over 30,000 votes, the Berlinale’s Panorama Audience Award is the film award with the largest jury in the world. Second place in the audience vote at the 2026 Berlinale went to an incredibly moving drama in which hilarious moments alternate with deeply sad ones—a film that offers an emotional roller coaster ride rarely experienced in the cinema. The film is based on the autobiographical novel by Barbara Pachl-Eberhardt, a bestseller in Austria: Barbara meets the clown Heli on the street, and together they start a family. Her work as a clown helps Barbara find her way back to life after a sudden tragedy. 

An outstanding film that leaves a lasting impression.

Germany/Austria 2026, 121 minutes, FSK: ages 12 and up