The 13th annual German Currents festival features some of the best recent films from Germany, all of which make their Los Angeles premieres here. The series begins with Andreas Dresen’s music biopic GUNDERMANN, which won six awards at the German Film Awards, including Outstanding Feature Film. Set in 1970s East Germany, the film stars Alexander Scheer as the titular folk singer, who balances a wildly successful career in music with a normal blue-collar job as a coal miner and a devoted allegiance to the GDR. A Q&A with director Andreas Dresen and a reception in the Egyptian courtyard will follow this prestigious drama.

One of the thrills of each installment of German Currents is the chance to see outstanding performances from both established and rising international stars. Luise Heyer, for example, takes center stage on Saturday night at the Egyptian Theatre as the star of both features. The first, LEIF IN CONCERT VOL. 2, is a stunning exercise in cinematic poetry, as it follows the day in the life of Lene (played by Heyer), who manages a jazz and blues bar. The film will be followed by a Q&A with writer-director Christian Klandt and producer Martin Lischke The evening closes with a dark drama/thriller, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUPLE, in which Heyer plays the recovering victim of an unbelievably traumatic experience involving intruders during a break-in.

Sunday’s afternoon selection takes us on a road trip across the European countryside with Hans Weingartner’s achingly romantic 303. Anton Spieker, who will participate in a Q&A following the film, and Mala Emde star as the young couple who meet on the road during their existential wanderings as each stands on the cusp of the adulthood. David Nawrath’s THE MOVER closes out the festival with a social drama following an aged “removal man” (Rainer Bock) who finds himself the center of an impossible balancing act with his line of work, co-workers and estranged family. The film is followed by a Q&A with composer Enis Rotthoff

This year’s children’s selection is equally exciting, as we present the family crowd-pleaser ROCCA CHANGES THE WORLD. Featuring Fahri Yardim as a tender homeless man named Caspar, the film follows Rocca, an extraordinary 11-year-old whose unshakable optimism and nonconformist spirit make good on the film’s title. This year’s series also includes a Next Generation German Shorts showcase of the best student shorts and the winners of the German Federal Film Board’s Short Tiger Award.

Series compiled by the Goethe-Institut and Chris LeMaire. Program notes by Chris LeMaire.