When does the screening of Fatherland take place?

The screening begins on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 3:30 PM and is expected to end at 5:00 PM.

Where will Fatherland be shown?

The film will be screened at filmforum at Dellplatz 16 in 47051 Duisburg.

How much does admission cost?

The regular admission for the Saturday screening is 8 euros according to the published price information from the filmforum, as the screening starts before 4 PM.

How long is the film?

Fatherland lasts about 81 to 82 minutes, depending on the program details.

Who plays Thomas Mann?

Thomas Mann is portrayed by Hanns Zischler. Sandra Hüller plays his daughter Erika Mann.

Is the event suitable for children?

The film is rated for ages 0 and up.

Thomas Mann's Return: Fatherland Shows the Wounds of German History in Cinema

Name: Fatherland
Start: 2026-10-17T15:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-17T17:00:00+02:00
Location: filmforum

Fatherland: Thomas Mann's Return to a Torn Germany

On Saturday, October 17, 2026, the filmforum Duisburg will showcase Paweł Pawlikowski's historical drama Fatherland. At the center is Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann, who returns to Germany for the first time in 1949 since his emigration. The screening interweaves literary biography, German post-war history, and a precisely observed author cinema.

A Journey Between Memory and Political Appropriation

Thomas Mann travels with his daughter Erika through a Germany in ruins. Between Frankfurt and Weimar, he encounters a society that both reveres him, politically claims him, and confronts him with its own past. The question of who Thomas Mann belongs to becomes the central historical and cultural tension of the film.

Literary Quality in Cool Black and White

Director Paweł Pawlikowski tells the return with a concentrated visual language. The cool black and white, the tight 4:3 format, and the reduced staging give the film the character of a historical memory picture. The aesthetic rigor opens a space for reflection on exile, identity, home, and the political impact of literary authority.

Hanns Zischler as the Melancholic Returnee

Hanns Zischler embodies Thomas Mann as a detached, melancholic observer. Sandra Hüller plays Erika Mann with great expressiveness, while August Diehl and other actors complement the ensemble. The characters move between public ceremony and family tension, between the Goethe Prize, cultural policy, and the quiet rifts of a family.

A Literary Experience at filmforum Duisburg

The reading atmosphere of a classic author event gives way to the concentrated impact of cinema: language, voice, historical spaces, and visual composition unite for an author encounter on the screen. The filmforum, Germany's first municipal cinema, provides the ambiance of a historical film palace with modern media technology.

Conclusion: A Film About Home, Exile, and the Power of Names

Fatherland awaits its audience as a challenging historical drama about Thomas Mann, Erika Mann, and the difficult return to a divided post-war Germany. Those interested in literary history, exile experiences, and European author cinema will experience an intense cinema afternoon at filmforum Duisburg.