Fatherland (2026 film)
Fatherland is an upcoming biographical film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hendrik Handloegten. The film stars Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller as Thomas and Erika Mann, respectively, as they embark on a road trip across Germany during the Cold War. It also stars August Diehl, Anna Madeley, Devid Striesow, and Theo Trebs.
Article
Fatherland (2026 film)
Fatherland is an upcoming biographical film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Hendrik Handloegten. The film stars Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller as Thomas and Erika Mann, respectively, as they embark on a road trip across Germany during the Cold War. It also stars August Diehl, Anna Madeley, Devid Striesow, and Theo Trebs.
Premise
Fatherland (2026 film)
In the midst of the Cold War, exiled German novelist Thomas Mann embarks on a road trip from Frankfurt, West Germany, to Weimar, East Germany, with his daughter, Erika.
Cast
Fatherland (2026 film)
• Hanns Zischler as Thomas Mann • Sandra Hüller as Erika Mann • August Diehl • Anna Madeley • Devid Striesow • Theo Trebs • Kriemhild Hamann • Waldemar Kobus • Joanna Kulig
Production
Development
Originally titled Vaterland and 1949, director Paweł Pawlikowski co-wrote the film's screenplay with Hendrik Handloegten. The film marks the first project under a three-year co-production, financing, and distribution agreement between Mubi and Our Films. In June 2025, Arte France Cinéma was announced as a co-producer of the film.
In February 2025, the film was awarded a grant of €200,000 by the Hessen Film Fund. Later that year, it was awarded a grant of 41.6 million PLN by the Polish Film Institute and €150,000 from Eurimages. It also received funding from the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
Casting
Hanns Zischler, Sandra Hüller, August Diehl, Anna Madeley, Devid Striesow, and Theo Trebs were announced as cast members on 19 August 2025. In November 2025, Joanna Kulig announced that she had taken part in the film, marking her fourth collaboration with Pawlikowski.
Filming
Łukasz Żal served as the film's cinematographer, having previously shot Pawlikowski's films Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018). Like Ida and Cold War, the film was shot in black-and-white.
Principal photography began in Legnica on 13 August 2025. Later that month, filming moved to Bielsko-Biała and Cieszyn. In early September, filming briefly took place in Warsaw before returning to Legnica. On 30 September, filming took place in Weimar, specifically at the Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle Weimar and Goethes Gartenhaus in Park an der Ilm. In early October, filming began at the Feature Film Studio in Wrocław. Later that month, filming took place at Kościół Zbawiciela in Wałbrzych. Filming was completed by mid-December 2025, after 38 days of shooting.
To recreate the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles, set designers Marcel Sławiński and Katarzyna Sobańska studied blueprints, photos, and video footage of the home. Furniture and props were sourced from Germany for authenticity. Pawlikowski also wanted the villa to be filled with books and art to emphasize "the quintessence of [Mann's] world: culture, literature, music."
Costume designer Aleksandra Staszko, who had worked with Pawlikowski on Ida and Cold War, recreated 1940s fashion for the film, which required her to emphasize the style differences between West and East Germany, as well as the United States. While the costumes for the main characters were custom-made, costumes for extras were sourced from warehouses in Berlin, Łódź, and Warsaw.
Release
Fatherland (2026 film)
The film was presented at the European Film Market in February 2026.