Fatherland
Fatherland centres on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) – actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins – from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years of exile in the US, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family.
With Fatherland, Pawlikowski picks up where he left off with his award-winning Ida and Cold War, exploring – in his elliptic, distilled style – the themes of identity, family, love and guilt amid the turmoil and confusion of post-war Europe.
Winner of Best Director at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Poland’s entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
“A perfectly cut jewel of a movie.” – The New York Times
“Sandra Hüller gives the kind of performance you never forget.” – New York Magazine
“Another expansive, enriching work from a modern master.” – Time Out
“A rich and moving journey through post-World War II Germany.” – TheWrap