Fatherland

In his latest work, as in Ida and Cold War, the director explores themes of identity, guilt, family, and love against the backdrop of the chaos and moral confusion of post-war Europe.

Fatherland tells the story of the relationship between Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler), a Nobel Prize winner in literature, and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller)—an actress and writer. The story takes place at the height of the Cold War.

 

Father and daughter embark on a difficult, emotionally charged journey in a black Buick through a devastated Germany—from American-controlled Frankfurt to Soviet-influenced Weimar.

 

For the first time since the end of the war, Mann returns to his homeland after having previously made the difficult decision to emigrate to the United States.

 

The film stars Oscar® nominee Sandra Hüller (The Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall, Project Hail Mary) and Hanns Zischler (Munich).

The screenplay was written by Paweł Pawlikowski and Henk Handloegten. For the production of the film, the director once again invited his long-time creative team—Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Łukasz Żal (Hamnet), costume designer Aleksandra Staszko (The Altar Boys), and production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński (Lalka).