JIFF: Visitation

This film is also showing at our sister cinemas, Classic Cinemas and Lido Cinemas

Heimsuchung

“The Palme d’Or-winning director’s latest is an ambitious, time hopping drama set against the volatile 20th century.” – Screen Daily

Australian Premiere

From Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum, Diplomacy) comes a powerful new epic that takes place over the course of the 20th century as three families bear witness to the earth-shattering events that shape the world around them.

A lake house near Berlin stands as generations come and go: a Jewish family, an opportunistic architect and his wife, an idealistic writer and her granddaughter. As these twelve destinies search for peace and belonging, the house remains a haven through decades of turmoil and the dramatic events that define Germany in the 20th century: the rise of Nazism and the devastation of war, Soviet occupation, the reunification of Germany, and the dawn of a new era.

This intimate yet epic drama, based on the bestselling novel by Booker Prize winner Jenny Erpenbeck, is a striking reflection on how memory, trauma and hope imprint themselves on generations of people, delivered by one of German cinema’s great masters.

Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum screens at JIFF 2026.

Festival Appearances/Awards
Cannes Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

118 min

Language

German (English subtitles)

Cast

Martina Gedeck, Lars Edinger, Susanne Wolff, Ulrich Matthes

Director

Volker Schlöndorff