The NFF Fokus series in 2026, under the title "Transformations" – inspired by the film "Alles andere zeigt die Zeit" from the Leipzig film series by Andreas Voigt – takes a sober, multi-voiced look at the system transformations in the former East Bloc and its winners and losers to this day – looking through the lens of the films of that time. The series examines upheavals in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic and tells the stories of people seeking stability after the reunification or in the time leading up to major changes, people who are deceived, who rebel, or who fail. Between post-reunification everyday life, consumer promises, violence, care, and reminiscence, there emerges a multi-layered panorama of transformation – political, social, personal.

Here you can see all the films of the Fokus series at a glance.

Part of the Fokus series is also a reading with Peggy Mädler, who will present her novel “Self-Regulation of the Heart” at the theater in Zittau on May 27. Furthermore, from May 22 to June 21, the exhibition “35 Years of German Unity – Young Perspectives from Lusatian and Rhineland Regions” can be seen at the Kulturcafé Alte Bäckerei. It shows photographs taken by young people which look at the “Quiet Change” of their regions. At the vernissage on May 22 at 5 p.m., there will be live music and a panel discussion about structural change, East-West differences, and German unity, among others with Elisabeth Kaiser, Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for the New Federal States.