FILM FESTIVAL NEWS
FOKUS: Films from Germany Returns to Scotland in 2027
The annual celebration of German cinema returns for its 11th edition, with Sandra Wollner's acclaimed Everytime selected as the opening film.
German cinema will once again take centre stage across Scotland when FOKUS: Films from Germany returns for its 11th edition, running from 22 January to 28 February 2027.
This year's festival, presented by Goethe-Institut Glasgow in collaboration with archive activist film collective Invisible Women, will explore the more unconventional side of German filmmaking under the theme Wild Nights, Electric Days.
Taking charge of the festival's creative direction for the first time, Invisible Women have assembled a programme celebrating the outsiders, rebels and rule-breakers who have helped shape German cinema. Covering almost 100 years of filmmaking, the selection promises a mixture of rediscovered classics, cult favourites and contemporary releases, with the complete line-up due to be revealed in the coming weeks.
“As a collective based between Scotland and Germany, it’s been a thrill to put together this programme which embraces almost a century of rebels, outsiders and disruptors (on and off screen) across German cinema.”
Invisible Women
Sandra Wollner's Everytime to Open the Festival
The festival will begin with a special preview screening of Everytime, the latest film from writer-director Sandra Wollner, at Glasgow Film Theatre on Thursday 21 January 2027.
Exploring themes of grief, guilt and forgiveness, the film follows a mother, her daughter and a teenage boy whose complicated emotional circumstances bring them together on an unusual journey to Tenerife. What begins as a family holiday becomes something altogether more unsettling, as memories and present-day experiences gradually begin to merge.
The film's distinctive visual style is complemented by cinematography from Gregory Oke, whose previous work includes the acclaimed Aftersun.
Everytime made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Prix Un Certain Regard award, and is scheduled for release in UK cinemas through BFI Distribution on 26 February 2027.
“Sandra Wollner’s Everytime is a unique and beautiful film, as well as one of the most talked about German releases of the last year.”
Invisible Women
A Different Perspective on German Cinema
The involvement of Invisible Women brings a fresh approach to FOKUS, with the collective known for championing overlooked filmmakers and underrepresented voices from cinema history.
Based across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Berlin, the group consists of Camilla Baier, Lauren Clarke and Rachel Pronger. Their work encompasses screenings, events and editorial projects designed to bring lesser-known films and filmmakers to wider audiences.
Their involvement in FOKUS 2027 reflects the festival's ambition to look beyond familiar titles and explore some of the more adventurous and unconventional corners of German filmmaking.
Eva Maria Schmitt, Director of Goethe-Institut Glasgow, welcomed the collaboration and the distinctive perspective brought to the festival by Invisible Women.
“The selection brings together films that open new ways of looking at German filmmaking, its histories and the stories being told today.”
Eva Maria Schmitt, Director of Goethe-Institut Glasgow
With screenings scheduled at venues throughout Scotland, FOKUS continues to provide an opportunity for audiences to discover German films that rarely receive widespread theatrical exposure in the UK.
The 2027 edition is supported by the Screen Scotland National Lottery Film Festival & Screening Programme Fund.
Festival dates: 22 January – 28 February 2027
Opening screening: Everytime – Glasgow Film Theatre, 21 January 2027
Full programme: To be announced
Everytime opens FOKUS 2027 with a special preview screening at Glasgow Film Theatre on 21 January 2027.
For further information, screening details and the latest festival announcements, visit the official FOKUS website.
Visit the Official FOKUS Festival Page →