Sven Schelker

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor at Auschwitz, escapes to South America to rebuild his life in hiding. Through the eyes of his son who finds him again, Mengele is confronted with a past he can no longer ignore. From Buenos Aires to Paraguay via Brazil, the man who became known as “The Angel of Death” will organize his methodical disappearance to avoid any form of trial.

James Larkin White is arrested on his arrival at the Swiss border. He is accused of being the missing Swiss sculptor Anatol Stiller. The missing man, with whom he is mistaken, is accused of being involved in the “Smyrnov affair”.

William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is tackled by a quirky group of teachers in the Theatre Basel production, exploring Greek mythology and an enchanted forest. Oberon and Titania’s marital strife affects two Athenian couples, while Puck’s well-meaning actions worsen the chaos. Despite the magic and intrigue, the lovers unite, allowing the Athenian royal wedding to proceed. The school principal and his wife portray Oberon and Titania, the history teacher is Helena, and the ethics teacher becomes Puck. Initially planning to rehearse “Pyramus and Thisbe,” the faculty’s production is a celebration of imagination, with costume and set designer Matthias Koch creating seamless transitions. The play is a joyful, humorous exploration of theatre itself.

A young teacher in Zurich in the 1950s falls in love with a transvestite star but is torn between his bourgeois existence and his commitment to homosexuality. He joins a gay organization that is eventually seen as the pioneer of gay emancipation in Europe.

13-year-old Jonja goes on vacation with the wealthy family of her best friend Paul. None of this would be a problem if the girl had told her mother about it - but she hasn't. Meanwhile, the days at the lake turn out to be extremely idyllic: Jonja falls in love with a girl and her friendship with Paul is strengthened even further. When it becomes clear that Jonja has lied, emotions run high...

Berlin at the end of the 19th Century. Alexander Hoffmann is an ambitious PhD student of Ethnology. When a delegation of the Herero and Nama tribes travels to Berlin during a ‘Colonial Exhibition’, he takes a special interest in their young female translator Kezia Kambazembi as subject for his studies.

1984: Searching for an experience that goes deeper than the superficiality of modern civilization, Bruno Manser travels into the jungles of Borneo and finds it with the nomadic Penan tribe. It is an encounter that changes his life forever. When the existence of the Penan is threatened by relentless deforestation, Manser takes up the fight against logging with a courage and determination that makes him one of the most renowned and credible environmentalists of his time. Eventually, it costs him everything. Based on a true story.

After WWII, Helene is ready to do anything to start a new life. As a young woman, she came to the exciting Berlin of the roaring 20s, wanting to become a doctor, and soon fell in love with a man named Karl. But the course of her life took a drastic, irreversible turn when the Nazis came into power.