How an Island Tells the Story of German History
Hiddensee, a strip of land just 17 kilometers long in the Baltic Sea, is beloved as a haven of freedom. Sunbathers, nude bathers, artists, punks, and celebrities have always flocked to the island in droves. The documentary takes us on a journey through an entire century, all the way back to the golden 1920s, when the intellectual avant-garde made this their home—including silent film star Asta Nielsen and Nobel Prize-winning author Gerhart Hauptmann. Then as now, Hiddensee is marked by political upheavals unfolding across the entire country. Germany in miniature. Multiple narrative threads, interwoven across time and generations, ultimately lead to the ceaselessly escalating tensions of the present.
In hypnotically beautiful black-and-white images, award-winning director Annekatrin Hendel weaves together landscape, history, and individual destinies into a fascinating portrait, shining a spotlight on movements that extend far beyond the legendary Baltic Sea island. HIDDENSEE is a cinematic experience that is as poetic as it is unsettling, brimming with visual and narrative power.
Germany 2026, 119 min
Director: Annekatrin Hendel
Cast: Thomas Gens, Konrad Glöckner, Vanessa Marx, Barbara Schnitzler, Pauline Knof, Maren Lass
