From March to May 2026, the Goethe-Institut Tallinn will present a series of German films titled “Visible: Queer Stories of Growing Up and Freedom” at Kino Artis and the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom. Each screening will be followed by a discussion. The project is organized in cooperation with the LGBTQ organization Q-Space.

The program features three German films: No Hard Feelings (Futur Drei, dir. Faraz Shariat, Germany, 2020, 92 min.), Cocoon (Kokon, dir. Leonie Krippendorff, Germany, 2020, 99 min.), and Great Freedom (Große Freiheit, dir. Sebastian Meise, Germany, 2021, 116 min.).

These films explore themes of identity, otherness, and inner freedom in different ways. Their protagonists — young people and adults — find themselves in situations where personal feelings collide with social norms, laws, or societal expectations. From summerly Berlin and rave parties to the prison walls of postwar Germany, space in these films becomes more than a backdrop; it reflects the characters’ inner states.

In all three stories, the journey toward selfhood unfolds through love, vulnerability, and resistance — whether through the recognition of one’s cultural and sexual identity, the experience of first love and adolescence, or the struggle for the right to exist despite repressive laws. What unites these films is their attentive and empathetic gaze toward those whose otherness has long been suppressed, and their effort to show that even under restrictions, intimacy, tenderness, and the longing for freedom remain possible.

Markus Köcher, program manager at the Goethe-Institut Tallinn, emphasizes the importance of the project: “Similar to Germany, Estonia has enacted numerous laws in recent years strengthening the rights of same-sex partnerships. However, this has not yet eliminated experiences of discrimination and exclusion in society based on sexual orientation and identity. Through the films and panel discussions, we aim to sensitively explore, together with the audience, the very personal yet socially important questions: How open is our society, and what does it mean to be queer?” 

Each screening will be followed by a thematic discussion addressing a broad and important range of topics.

After Great Freedom, we will discuss the history of queer people, long excluded from official narratives, and the preservation of LGBTQ historical memory as an act of recognition, respect, and the restoration of justice for those whose lives and feelings were too often criminalized or pushed into the shadows.

The discussions will include activists as well as experts in migration, education, and historical memory.

All films will be screened in German with Estonian and English subtitles. The screenings at Kino Artis will additionally have Russian subtitles. The discussions will be held in English. Interpretation into Estonian and Russian will be available upon request.

Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ApjNeYtmE

Film photos https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1PDoPaxtGvtjbLFjsEw8Nl_21kGV01VlQ