🎬 “Where the Waves Took Her” will be released in German theaters on September 3, 2026

For many people, fleeing across the Mediterranean is their last hope—and at the same time, the most dangerous escape route in the world. As more and more women and children are taking this journey, a midwife is now a permanent member of the crew on a sea rescue ship. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows midwife Anne-Katrin on her first mission, profiles a strong team of women on board, and gives the refugee women a platform to tell their stories themselves.

UCM.ONE will release director Jana Stallein’s first feature-length documentary in German theaters on Thursday, September 3, 2026, under the documentary film label NONFY Documentaries. The film was produced by Wüste Film West in co-production with the Konrad Wolf Film University Babelsberg and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg.

The theatrical release will be preceded by a theater tour with the film crew, which begins on August 27 in Leipzig and will make stops in a total of 20 cities through September 13. The tour is presented by the maritime rescue organizations Sea-Eye, SOS Humanity, Sea Punks, United 4 Rescue, and Sea Watch. Jens P. Neumann is in charge of the theatrical release campaign.

About the Movie

Synopsis. For many people, fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe is often their last hope of escaping war, persecution, and hunger. As more and more women and children are forced to embark on one of the world’s most dangerous escape routes, a midwife is now a permanent member of the crew on a sea rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows the first rescue mission of Berlin-based midwife Anne-Katrin. Her journey is told in parallel with the stories of the women’s flight. While we get to know the strong, all-female medical team on board alongside Anne-Katrin and prepare for emergencies with them, the refugee women recount—through a specially designed visual narrative featuring long-exposure photographs and a studio filled with water—the suffering their flight to Europe has brought them. The long exposures create blurred, poetic images that not only serve to anonymize and protect the subjects but also convey the emotional intensity of the situation in a new way. On the ship, the worlds of the women and the crew converge for a brief moment before the women arrive in Italy and embark on another journey into the unknown.

The film celebrated its world premiere at the 59th International Hof Film Festival, where it received an Honorable Mention at the GRANIT Documentary Film Award. This was followed by the international premiere at Hot Docs in the Persister Program, the Berlin premiere in the documentary competition at the 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival, and invitations to the Human Rights Festival Berlin, DOK.fest Munich, and the 55th Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival.

Theatrical Tour with the Film Crew — August 27 through September 13

From August 27 through September 13, the film crew will be on a theater tour. Members of the crew will be on hand at all screenings to lead discussions about the film.

In theaters September 3, 2026

The film will open in 22 theaters across 20 cities and nine federal states.

Starting September 10, the Filmforum Höchst in Frankfurt and the STUDIO Filmtheater in Kiel will be added to the lineup, followed by the Mon ami in Weimar starting September 24.

The film will be shown in its original version with German subtitles (OmU); some theaters will also offer English subtitles (OmeU). Current showtimes and ticket links are available at ucm.one/de/where-the-waves-took-her.

Staff and Cast

Director and Screenplay: Jana Stallein

Producers: Charlotte Peters, Levin Hübner

Production Manager: Lena Gill

Cinematography: Sophia Fenn

Production Design: Antonia Nestler

Editing: Amélie Richter

Music and Sound Design: Henric Schleiner, Henning Großmann

Original Soundtrack: Jana Stallein, Henric Schleiner

Vocals: Leen Al-Hassan

Production Company: Wüste Film West

Co-production: KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg

rbb Editor: Rolf Bergmann

Funded by: The Leuchtstoff Initiative of the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and rbb

Supported by: SONY Europe B.V., SOS Humanity e. V., Studio Babelsberg AG, TI:ME:CO:DE, Zeigermann_Audio

Country of Production / Year: Germany / 2025

Runtime: 83 min. Age Rating: 12 and up (not restricted on holidays) Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Audio: 5.1 Surround

Languages: Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Somali

Subtitles: German, English

Starring: Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, Mariame Diallo, and the SOS Humanity crew.

About the Director

Jana Stallein studied documentary film directing at the KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg and works as an editor, including on the Grimme Prize-winning web series HAUS KUMMERVELDT. “Where the Waves Took Her” is her first feature-length documentary.

Festival Selection & Awards

• 59th International Hof Film Festival 2025 – Honorable Mention, GRANIT Documentary Film Award
• 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival 2026 – Documentary Film Competition (Berlin Premiere)
• Human Rights Festival Berlin 2026 – Official Selection
• International Women’s Film Festival Dortmund+Cologne 2026 – Female Gaze – CineOne & sPOTTlight, National Award for Cinematographers (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)
• Hot Docs 2026 – Persister Program (International Premiere)
• 55th Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival 2026 – Documentary Film Competition
• DOK.fest Munich 2026 – Official Selection
• SI STAR Emerging Director Award for Female Filmmakers 2026 (Director: Jana Stallein)
• German Cinematography Award 2026 – Nomination in the Documentary Film Category (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)
• DOK.fest Munich 2026 – Nomination for the VFF Emerging Documentary Film Production Award (Producer: Charlotte Peters)

What People Are Saying About the Movie

“We find ourselves on a ship in the Mediterranean, in the midst of a highly dangerous mission carried out by a young maritime rescue crew. This film gets under your skin. It grips us from the very first minute to the very last—cinematically, emotionally, and through its humanitarian message.”

— Jury statement GRANIT — Hofer Documentary Film Award (Alexandra Sell, Bartholomew Sammut, Katharina Rinderle)

Theatrical Release Campaign

Contact: Jens P. Neumann

Email: contact@urbantreemusic.de

Distribution

Theatrical Distributor: UCM.ONE 

Wrangelstraße 79, 10997 Berlin

Email: dispo@ucm.one

Tone Frede — Theatrical Sales & Acquisitions

E-Mail: tone.frede@ucm.one

More information about the film: Where the Waves Took Her

Weiteren Informationen über das Filmlabel: NONFY Documentaries