Feelgood film opens screenings in Bangkok

The River City Film Club is opening its June screening series with “Welcome to Germany” on June 9 at 4pm.

It’s about the refugee situation in Europe as seen through the eyes of a wide range of characters, but it’s told in a heart-warming way. 

At the heart of the story is the large Hartmann family, each of whose members is going through a crisis. Successful doctor Richard doesn’t want to age or retire and his idealistic wife Angelika is drifting away from him.

Their workaholic lawyer-son Philipp neglects his son Basti, who ends up with problems in school. Their daughter Sofie dislikes her study-courses and doesn’t know what she wants to do until she meets the Arab doctor, Tarek Berger, whom her father dislikes.

Into this dysfunctional family’s home is welcomed Nigerian refugee Diallo Makaburi, who slowly starts making a difference in all their lives.

It’s a learning process for him too, since many things in Germany confuse him. But in the end, they know they can’t do much about ensuring him asylum in their country, thanks to wary neighbours, terrorist threats, suspicious police and rightwing activists.

It is a moment of reckoning for them all. The movie has won audience awards at several festivals and was a hit in Germany, being Best National Film at the German Film Awards and the German Cinema Award for Peace.

The movie has subtitles in English and Thai.

The film screening in the new RCB Forum room on the second floor is free, supported by the German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut, which will host a reception afterwards. German Ambassador Peter Prugel will introduce the movie.

Editor: Wang Shixue