Where the Waves Took Her

For many people, crossing the Mediterranean is their last hope—and at the same time the world’s most dangerous escape route. As more and more women and children undertake this journey, a midwife is now a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows midwife Anne-Katrin on her first mission, portrays a strong all-female team on board, and gives refugee women the space to tell their own stories.

Theatrical Release: In theaters across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland beginning September 3, 2026.

Synopsis

For many people, crossing the Mediterranean to Europe is often their last hope of escaping war, persecution, and hunger. As increasing numbers of women and children are forced to undertake one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes, a midwife has become a permanent member of the crew aboard a search-and-rescue vessel. “Where the Waves Took Her” follows Berlin-based midwife Anne-Katrin on her first rescue mission. Her journey unfolds in parallel with the women’s stories of displacement.

As we join Anne-Katrin in meeting the strong, all-female medical team on board and preparing with them for an emergency, the displaced women recount the suffering they endured on their journey to Europe through a distinctive visual approach involving long-exposure photography and a water-filled studio. The long exposures create blurred, poetic images that not only preserve the women’s anonymity and protect their identities, but also convey the emotional intensity of their experiences in a new way. On board the ship, the worlds of the women and the crew briefly come together before the women arrive in Italy and begin another journey into the unknown.

Festival Selection & Awards

  • 59th Hof International Film Festival 2025 — Honorable Mention for the GRANIT Documentary Film Award
  • 22nd achtung berlin Film Festival 2026 — Documentary Competition (Berlin Premiere)
  • Human Rights Film 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 Competition
  • DOK.fest München 2026 — Official Selection
  • SI STAR Emerging Female Director Award 2026 (Director: Jana Stallein)
  • German Camera Award 2026 — Nomination in the Theatrical Documentary category (Cinematography: Sophia Fenn)
  • DOK.fest München 2026 — Nomination for the VFF Emerging Documentary Production Award (Producer: Charlotte Peters)

Director’s Statement — Jana Stallein

“In 2019, I took part in a search-and-rescue mission at sea for the first time. In the middle of the night, we rescued 32 people, including five women and ten children, the youngest just three months old. Waves more than eleven feet high crashed over our small vessel. Only days later, a heavily pregnant woman admitted that she had not felt her baby move since the rescue. We had no midwife on board. That moment stayed with me and inspired me to explore this subject: a woman who feels guilty because she wants a better life for her children and risks everything to achieve it.

‘I started writing down my story so I could share it with the world,’ one woman said before I had even begun recording. ‘It is social, spiritual, and educational. I believe it will resonate with you as well.’ Every sentence that followed was harrowing, yet her words were chosen with the care of a poem. I want these stories to be heard.”

Title: Where the Waves Took Her

Director: Jana Stallein
Screenplay: Jana Stallein
Protagonists: Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, Mariame Diallo, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch
Director of Photography: Sophia Fenn
Editor: Amélie Richter
Production Design: Antonia Nestler
Production Sound: Jana Stallein, Henric Schleiner
Original Music and Sound Design: Henric Schleiner
Dialogue Editing and Re-Recording Mix: Henning Großmann
Vocals: Leen Al-Hassan
Grading; Sarah Salzmann
Producers: Charlotte Peters, Levin Hübner
Production Manager: Lena Gill
Commissioning Editor: Rolf Bergmann (rbb)
Genre: Documentary
Production Company: Wüste Film West
Co-Production: Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf,
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg

Country of Production: Germany
Year of Production: 2025
Languages: Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Somali
Subtitles: German or English
Rating: FSK 12 (approved for public holiday screenings)
Content Advisory: Distressing themes
Runtime: 83 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Screening Formats: DCP (DCI 2K Scope), MP4 (Full HD 1080p)
Resolution: 2048 × 858
Frame Rate: 25 fps
Audio: 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo

Premiere:
October 22, 2025
59th Hof International Film Festival

Distribution and Worldwide Sales: UCM.ONE
Film Label: NONFY Documentaries

Theatrical Release: September 3, 2026

About Jana Stallein (Director)

Jana Stallein studied documentary directing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Her film “Where the Waves Took Her” premiered at the Hof International Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention in the GRANIT Documentary Film Competition. Her first VR directing project, the immersive experience AFTER THE GAME (2025), premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2026. In 2026, she received the SI STAR Young Talent Award for her work as a director.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes)
2025 AFTER THE GAME (VR Experience, 17 minutes)
2022 HI I’M TOXIC (Experimental Film, 8 minutes)
2022 SHAPES OF LESBOS (Documentary, 70 minutes)
© Sebastian Beierle

About Charlotte Peters (Producer)

© Julian Dieterich

Lotte is pursuing a master’s degree in Film and Television Production at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. She has worked for organizations including Wüste Film, Achtung Panda!, and MOIN Film Fund, and was awarded the VFF Emerging Talent Scholarship for production students. Her first feature-length film, “Where the Waves Took Her,” premiered in Hof in 2025, was subsequently screened at Hot Docs, and will be released theatrically in the second half of 2026. Her work earned her a nomination for the VFF Emerging Producer Award. She is also the impact producer of the documentary INTERSECTION, which premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2025. She is currently producing her first narrative feature, “The Melting Mood of Ecstasy”, which was filmed in early 2026. Lotte makes films with purpose—preferably intimate, queer, and driven by a clear point of view.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2026 THE MELTING MOOD OF ECSTASY (Director: Julian Dieterich, 90 min., in post-production, feature film funded by Leuchtstoff) – Producer
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Director: Jana Stallein, 83 min., feature-length documentary funded by Leuchtstoff) – Producer
2025 INTERSECTION – Alles ist politisch (Director: Karoline Rößler, 87 min., feature-length documentary and mobile game, funded by MBB) – Impact Producer

About Sophia Fenn (Director of Photography)

Sophia Fenn earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Cinematography from Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. In 2025, she completed her studies with the documentary “Where the Waves Took Her,” which was nominated for the 36th German Camera Award and won the FEMALE GAZE Cinematography Award at the IFFF. She has also worked on international productions in Brazil, Ukraine, and the United States.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2026 TABIR, Director: Natalija Yefimkina (Documentary, 35 min.)
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER, Director: Jana Stallein (Documentary, 82 min.)
2024 WUNSCHKINDER, Director: Hannah Wolny (Short Film, 7 min.)
2024 NIMICA FRUMOS, Director: Vanessa Gunesch (Documentary Short, 13 min.)
2023 I KNEW YOU WERE MY KIND, Director: Vanessa Gunesch (Short Film, 18 min.)
2023 FESTGEFAHREN, Director: Lina Drevs (Short Film, 14 min.)
© Thomas Köpke

About Amélie Richter (Editor)

© Philippe Grégoire

Amélie Richter developed a strong interest in cinema while studying Media and Cultural Studies in Germany and France. She subsequently studied Film Editing at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and worked on documentaries including Spaltung (CPH 2025) and “Where the Waves Took Her” (Hof International Film Festival 2025 / Hot Docs 2026). She currently divides her time between Montreal and Berlin, working as both a film editor and a festival curator. Her work across different cultural and cinematic contexts informs her transdisciplinary and transnational approach to cinema.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes)
2024 SPALTUNG (Documentary, 75 minutes)
2025 FEMME SULFUREUSE (Short Film, 10 minutes)
2024 DEAD PERIOD (Short Film, 10 minutes)
2024 TRACES OF LIFE – HOW TO KILL (Installation, 5 minutes)
2023 LABSAL (Short Film, 26 minutes)
2023 STICKY (Short Film, 24 minutes)

About Lena Gill (Production Manager)

Lena Gill (born 1997) earned her bachelor’s degree in Media Management from Stuttgart Media University. After graduating, she moved to Berlin and worked as a production assistant on various theatrical and television productions. In 2022, she began a master’s degree in Film and Television Production at Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. At the same time, she worked for X Filme Creative Pool as an assistant to the head of production. She currently works as a producer for the Berlin-based company Seven Elephants.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2026 ARCHITECTURES OF MEMORY (Documentary Hybrid Project, in post-production) – Producer
2026 MAXIMINI (Short Film, in post-production) – Producer
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary) – Production Manager
2023 ZEIT VERBRECHEN (Miniseries) – Assistant to the Head of Production
2022 SLEEPING DOGS (Netflix Miniseries) – Assistant Production Manager
2021 WANN WIRD ES ENDLICH WIEDER SO, WIE ES NIE WAR (Feature Film) – Assistant Production Manager
© Rubén León

About Antonia Nestler (Studio Production Design)

© Melanie Macher

Antonia is a Berlin-based production designer and mixed-media artist. Her work explores socially relevant issues through innovative and immersive approaches. Her creative focus lies in developing new spaces for storytelling by combining analog techniques such as model making and drawing with digital media including projection mapping and augmented reality.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2025 ARCHITECTURES OF MEMORY AT (Documentary, 90 minutes) – Production Design: Studio Set and Model Making
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) – Production Design: Studio Set and Title Design
2024 RECONSTRUCTION HOME (Interactive Documentary Installation) – Production Design

About Levin Hübner (Producer)

Levin Hübner, born in Hamburg in 1988, has served as a producer at Cologne-based Wüste Film West GmbH since 2022 and as co-managing director since 2025. He is a graduate of the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln and has been, among other things, a fellow of the Mediengründerzentrum NRW and a participant in the Rotterdam Lab. His work has screened at festivals including the Berlinale and the Max Ophüls Prize and has received international awards. His productions at Wüste Film include the bestselling novel adaptation DER BUCHSPAZIERER (Studiocanal), starring Christoph Maria Herbst and Yuna Bennett; the artistic documentary “Where the Waves Took Her”; and the ARD co-productions EIN SOMMER IN SOMMERBY and WEIHNACHTEN IN SOMMERBY, based on Kirsten Boie’s successful children’s book series.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2027 SUPERBUSEN – Director: Constanze Klaue. Screenplay: Constanze Klaue, Anna Brüggemann, and Paula Irmschler (Feature Film)
2027 SCHATTEN – Director: Ben Teske. Screenplay: Julia C. Kaiser (Feature Film)
2026 SOMMER AUF ASPHALT – Director: Simon Ostermann. Screenplay: Brix Vinzent Koethe (Feature Film)
2026 WEIHNACHTEN IN SOMMERBY – Director: Mia Spengler. Screenplay: Catharina Junk (TV Movie)
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER – Written and directed by Jana Stallein (Documentary)
2025 EIN SOMMER IN SOMMERBY – Director: Mara Eibl-Eibesfeldt. Screenplay: Catharina Junk (TV Movie)
2024 DER BUCHSPAZIERER – Director: Ngo The Chau. Screenplay: Andi Rogenhagen and Carsten Henn (Feature Film)
2022 LOUIS I. KING OF THE SHEEP – Written and directed by Markus Wulf (Stop-Motion Animated Film)
© Wüste Film West

About Henric Schleiner & Henning Großmann (Music / Sound Design / Dialogue Editing / Re-Recording Mix)

©

Henric Schleiner and Henning Großmann founded the sound design studio ti:me:co:de in 2019 and have since worked on around 300 projects spanning commercials and film. For “Where the Waves Took Her”, they were responsible for the sound design, original music, and re-recording mix. Their other credits include the documentary GLEIS 11 and the series UNCIVILIZED, which received both the Grimme Award and the German Television Award. They are currently working on the WDR series ONKEL RUBEN UND DAS LOCH IM GARTEN.

Filmography (Selected Works)

2026 ONKEL RUBEN UND DAS LOCH IM GARTEN (Drama Series, 6 episodes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix
2025 WHERE THE WAVES TOOK HER (Documentary, 83 minutes) – Sound Design, Original Music, Re-Recording Mix
2024 UNCIVILIZED (Drama Series, 6 episodes) – Production Sound, Dialogue Editing, Re-Recording Mix
2023 TENEZ (Short Film, 22 minutes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Original Music, Re-Recording Mix
2022 REBELS (Documentary Series, 3 × 30 minutes) – Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix
2021 GLEIS 11 (Documentary, 61 minutes) – Production Sound, Sound Design, Re-Recording Mix

Protagonists & Crew

© Ulrich Stallein

From left to right: Julie Tankeu Yonga, Lena Gill, Mariame Diallo with her son, Antonia Nestler, Sophia Fenn, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Henric Schleiner, Jeanine Tchokotte, Jana Stallein, Charlotte PetersFrom left to right: Julie Tankeu Yonga, Lena Gill, Mariame Diallo with her son, Antonia Nestler, Sophia Fenn, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Anne-Katrin Klotzsch, Henric Schleiner, Jeanine Tchokotte, Jana Stallein, Charlotte Peters

© Wüste Film West

Group photo of the crew and protagonists from the studio shoot at Studio Babelsberg. Protagonists pictured: Fahma Abdukader Farah, Jeanine Tchokotte, Joseline Cabry Fotsing, Julie Tankeu Yonga, and Mariame Diallo.

Where the Waves Took Her | Trailer (Original Version with German and English Subtitles)

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information

Screening Dates — Germany (Updated Regularly)

OPENING NIGHT PREMIERE · Thu, 3 Sep 19:30Updated: 28 Aug 2026
Thu, 3 Sep 19:30 Berlin – Kino in der Kulturbrauerei with Q&A · OmeU · Tickets
CINEMA TOUR WITH THE FILM TEAM · 27 August – 13 September 2026Updated: 28 Aug 2026
Thu, 27 Aug 19:00 Leipzig – Luru Kino in der Spinnerei OmU · Tickets
Fri, 28 Aug 18:30 Magdeburg – Studiokino OmU · Tickets
Sun, 30 Aug 11:00 Bonn – Neue Filmbühne OmU · Tickets
Sun, 30 Aug 17:30 Münster – Cinema & Kurbelkiste OmU · Tickets
Mon, 31 Aug 19:00 Heidelberg – Gloria & Gloriette OmU · Tickets
Tue, 1 Sep 17:30 Karlsruhe – Kinemathek OmU · Tickets
Tue, 1 Sep 20:30 Stuttgart – Delphi Arthaus Kino OmU · Tickets
Wed, 2 Sep 18:30 Potsdam – Thalia OmU · Tickets
Fri, 4 Sep 17:00 München – Werkstattkino OmU · Tickets
Fri, 4 Sep 20:30 Regensburg – Ostentor Kino OmU · Tickets
Sat, 5 Sep 13:30 Bielefeld – Lichtwerk OmU · Tickets
Sat, 5 Sep 18:30 Köln – Filmhaus OmU · Tickets
Sat, 5 Sep 19:30 Berlin – Lichtblick Kino OmU · Tickets
Sun, 6 Sep 16:30 Düsseldorf – Metropol OmU · Tickets
Sun, 6 Sep 19:00 Dortmund – sweetSixteen OmU · Tickets
Mon, 7 Sep 19:00 Hamburg – 3001 Kino OmU · Tickets
Tue, 8 Sep 17:45 Bremen – Cinema im Ostertor OmU · Tickets
Wed, 9 Sep 19:30 Berlin – Delphi LUX OmU · Tickets
Thu, 10 Sep 18:30 Kiel – STUDIO Filmtheater am Dreiecksplatz OmU · Tickets
Fri, 11 Sep 18:00 Frankfurt – Filmforum Höchst OmU · Tickets
Sat, 12 Sep 18:00 Halle – Puschkino OmU · Tickets
Sun, 13 Sep 18:30 Berlin – Moviemento OmeU · Tickets
WEEK 1 · 3 – 9 September 2026Updated: 28 Aug 2026
Screening times via the cinemas' websites
Baden-Württemberg
Heidelberg Gloria & Gloriette OmU
Karlsruhe Kinemathek OmU
Stuttgart Delphi Arthaus Kino OmU, OmeU
Bayern
München Werkstattkino OmU, OmeU
Nürnberg Casablanca Filmkunsttheater OmU
Regensburg Ostentor Kino OmU
Berlin
Berlin Lichtblick Kino OmU, OmeU
Berlin Moviemento OmU, OmeU
Berlin Delphi LUX OmU
Brandenburg
Potsdam Thalia OmU
Bremen
Bremen Cinema im Ostertor OmU
Hamburg
Hamburg 3001 Kino OmU
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Bielefeld Lichtwerk OmU
Bonn Neue Filmbühne OmU
Dortmund sweetSixteen OmU
Düsseldorf Metropol OmU
Köln Filmhaus OmU
Münster Cinema & Kurbelkiste OmU
Wuppertal Cinema OmU
Sachsen
Leipzig Luru Kino in der Spinnerei OmU
Sachsen-Anhalt
Halle Puschkino OmU
WEEK 2 · 10 – 16 September 2026Updated: 28 Aug 2026
Screening times via the cinemas' websites
Baden-Württemberg
Heidelberg Gloria & Gloriette OmU
Stuttgart Delphi Arthaus Kino OmU, OmeU
Berlin
Berlin Moviemento OmU, OmeU
Brandenburg
Potsdam Thalia OmU
Bremen
Bremen Cinema im Ostertor OmU
Hamburg
Hamburg 3001 Kino OmU
Hessen
Frankfurt am Main Filmforum Höchst OmU
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Bielefeld Lichtwerk OmU
Düsseldorf Metropol OmU
Köln Filmhaus OmU
Wuppertal Cinema OmU
Sachsen-Anhalt
Halle Puschkino OmU
Schleswig-Holstein
Kiel Studio Filmtheater am Dreiecksplatz OmU
FURTHER SPECIALS WITH THE FILM TEAM · 26 – 30 September 2026Updated: 28 Aug 2026
Sat, 26 Sep 18:00 Dresden – Zentralkino with the film team · OmU · To the cinema
Wed, 30 Sep 19:00 Weimar – Mon ami with the film team · OmU · To the cinema

OmU = original version with German subtitles · OmeU = original version with English subtitles
Presented by Sea-Eye · SOS Humanity · Sea Punks · United 4 Rescue · Sea Watch

Pressestimmen und Reaktionen zum Film

Dieser beklemmende Film trägt seine gesellschaftlich brennenden Themen nicht didaktisch vor sich her, sondern macht diese sinnlich erfahrbar. Hochspannend erzählt diese universelle Parabel von Ausbeutung und Wertelosigkeit, von Manipulation und Macht: zwischen Kontinenten, zwischen arm und reich, zwischen Menschen, zwischen Männern. Dabei lenkt sie den Blick auf unsere eigenen Abgründe und hält uns eiskalt den Spiegel vor.” (Laudatio Max Ophüls Filmpreis für gesellschaftlich relevanten Film)

„Ein Post-Relotius-Film ist dies, und viel mehr, als sowas wie Tausend Zeilen je könnte: Denn „Good News“ ist zwar sicherlich inspiriert vom Fall des Reporters, der für den Spiegel Artikel erfunden und für sich Preise eingeheimst hat. Aber er erzählt etwas anderes, und mehr.” (Kinozeit.de)

„Good News“ ist ein sehenswerter Film über beruflichen Druck, Gewissen, ethische und soziale Ungleichheiten.“ (Saarbrücker Zeitung)

“Atmosphärisch dicht führt uns Hannes Schilling in seinem klaustrophobischen Kammerspiel tief in menschliche Abgründe mitten in Thailands Dschungel.” (WAZ)

“Der Titel „Good News“ zeigt dabei, welchen Ton Hannes Schillings kleines, feines Schwarzweiß-Drama anschlägt. Er lässt seinen schwachen Helden nicht gnadenlos untergehen – sondern brutal zappeln.” (Hamburger Abendblatt)

“Dieser Film wird alle beglücken, die Reporter schon immer für Produzenten von Fake News gehalten haben.”(Braunschweiger Zeitung)

“Wie der Reporter mit unschuldigem Blick andere ins Verderben stürzt wie ein Verbrecher, sich eine fremde Kultur aneignet wie ein Tourist, das ist nicht nur für „Fake News“-Forscher absolut sehenswert.” (Thüringer Allgemeine)

“Relotius Reloaded: Ein ehrgeiziger Reporter erfindet eine starke Geschichte – mit Folgen: „Good News“ ist starkes Kino.” (Berliner Morgenpost)

News

🎬 “Where the Waves Took Her” premiered in Berlin on September 3, 2026, celebrating its theatrical release

Jana Stallein’s moving documentary “Where the Waves Took Her” celebrated a highly acclaimed premiere at CineStar Kino in der KulturBrauerei in Berlin. Following numerous festival screenings, UCM.ONE and NONFY Documentaries will release director Jana Stallein’s first feature-length documentary in German theaters on September 3. The official premiere to mark the film’s theatrical release took place…

Mehr lesen

🎬 Successful Launch of the “Where the Waves Took Her” Theatrical Tour in Leipzig and Vision Kino Film Recommendation

Successful Launch of the Theatrical Tour in Leipzig The theatrical tour for “Where the Waves Took Her” kicked off on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at Luru Kino in der Spinnerei in Leipzig — to a sold-out audience. Because demand exceeded the seating capacity for the 7:00 p.m. screening, the theater added a second screening at…

Mehr lesen

🎬 “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…

Mehr lesen