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TRIAL OF HEIN Germany, 2026, 122 min, color

The film follows Hein, a 32-year-old man who returns to his native village on a small island after fourteen years away. Instead of the recognition and acceptance he expects, he is met with suspicion and alienation: the locals question his identity and claim he is not who he says he is. His return gradually escalates into a tense public conflict, resembling an improvised court in which the community attempts to determine whether Hein truly “belongs” there. As he struggles to defend himself and prove his identity, Hein is forced to confront his own past, the reasons for his departure, and the changes time has brought – both to the village and to himself. The film explores the fragile boundary between personal identity and collective memory, ultimately asking what it truly means to have a homeland.

Kai Stänicke

Kai Stänicke

Kai Stänicke was born in 1986 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. While studying Film & TV Production in Dortmund, he directed his first short films. After receiving his Diploma, he worked for X Filme Creative Pool in Berlin and on set of various productions as Assistant Director and Assistant Set Manager. Trial of Hein is his feature debut. It opened the "Perspectives" section of the Berlin Film Festival.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

2010 Cold Star / short

2012 It's Consuming Me / short

2015 Golden / short

2015 B. / short

2019 Pace / short

2026 Trial of Hein

DIRECTOR
Kai Stänicke
SCRIPT
Kai Stänicke
CAMERA
Florian Mag
CAST
Paul Boche, Philip Froissant, Emilia Schüle, Stephanie Amarell, Jeanette Hain
PRODUCERS
Dirk Decker, Andrea Schütte, Dario Sute
PRODUCTION
Tamtam Film, Das kleine Fernsehspiel (ZDF), Lupa Film

TRIAL OF HEIN Germany, 2026, 122 min, color

PROGRAM

Cinema House
20:30 h
Cinema House
15:30 h

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