Common Exceptions

The film series Common Exceptions brings together current cinematic perspectives from German-speaking countries that depict migration as an integral aspect of social reality. For a long time, migrant experiences in German cinema were only told from an outside perspective—marked by clichés, didactic views, and oversimplified attributions. It was not until the 1990s that film-makers whose parents had migrated to Germany started to share their own stories, opening up new perspectives. However, this development was fragile and slow. It took a long time for a new generation of film-makers to give new impetus to pluralistic narratives in German cinema.

Common Exceptions presents works by this young generation that take precisely this approach. Their films refuse to justify their own existence or feel compelled to explain themselves. Migration appears here as a matter of course, rather than a dramatic state of emergency. With composure and humour, complex and precise at the same time, they formulate their own positions beyond external attributions. Whether autofictional, documentary, or essayistic, the films break with established patterns, combine intimacy with political acuity, and develop independent cinematic forms. They are plural, queer, intersectional, and deliberately unpredictable, as well as uncompromising, provocative, and empowering. Their particular strength lies in the productive contradiction of not having to be either ordinary or extraordinary. In this sense, they point to a promising future for German cinema.

Common Exceptions combines film screenings with discussions and other discursive formats. In collaboration with Berlin-based film initiatives and networks committed to long-term engagement, the series creates a space for exchange, networking, and sustainable collaboration.