Carl Roberts 
After being selected for competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, MUBI unveils the first image from Paweł Pawlikowski’s new movie, Fatherland.
FATHERLAND, the latest feature film from Academy Award–winning director Paweł Pawlikowski (known for Ida and Cold War), has earned a spot in the competition for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This follows today’s announcement of the festival’s Official Competition line-up.
MUBI holds all rights in North America, Latin America, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Benelux, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, and India. The company is excited to share the first-look image of the film. The image features Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler.
THE PREMISE
FATHERLAND centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller), an actress, writer, and rally driver. The film is set at the height of the Cold War. During this time, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick. This journey takes them across a Germany in ruins. In fact, they travel from US-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. For the first time since the war, Mann returns to his native Germany. Previously, he had made the difficult decision to flee to the safety of the US.
With FATHERLAND, Pawlikowski picks up where he left off with his award-winning Ida and Cold War. He again explores the themes of identity, guilt, family, and love. These unfold amid the turmoil and moral confusion of post-war Europe.
THE CAST
Written by Pawlikowski and Henk Handloegten, the film stars Academy Award-nominated Sandra Hüller (Zone of Interest, Anatomy of a Fall). Hanns Zischler (Munich, Germany Year 90 Nine Zero, Kings of the Road), August Diehl (A Hidden Life, Inglourious Basterds), Devid Striesow (All Quiet On The Western Front), and Anna Madeley (Patrick Melrose, All Creatures Great And Small) also star in the film.
PRODUCTION
The film is a MUBI, OUR Films (a Mediawan Company, Italy), Extreme Emotions (Poland), Nine Hours (Germany), and Chapter 2 (a Mediawan Company, France) production. The project is a collaboration between Circle One (Italy) and Apocalypso Pictures. It also features contributions from Arte and Pathé. Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli from OUR Films, Ewa Puszczynska from Extreme Emotions, Jeanne Tremsal and Edward Berger from Nine Hours, Dimitri Rassam from Chapter 2, and Lorenzo Gangarossa from Circle One all play key production roles. The Match Factory is handling international sales.
PAWEŁ PAWLIKOWSKI
Pawlikowski reunites with his longtime filmmaking team. This includes the Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Lukasz Zal, costume designer Aleksandra Staszko, and production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński.
Pawlikowski’s Ida garnered 70 international awards, including 5 European Film Awards and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He won the Best Director Prize at Cannes in 2018 for Cold War, and the film had 52 wins and 126 nominations, including Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography.
THE IMAGE
Fatherland will be released at a later date.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
