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Islands

Berlinale Special Gala 2025
© Juan Sarmiento G. / 2025 augenschein Filmproduktion, LEONINE Studios
Tom is the tennis coach at a luxurious island hotel, filling the time between lessons with alcohol and one-night stands. The arrival of the Maguire family pulls Tom out of his normal routine and he strikes up a relationship with Anne, her husband Dave and their son Anton. Tom is unable to shake the feeling that he has met Anne before, and this tension grows between them until one night, Dave goes missing and the police investigation points to both Anne and Tom as suspects.
by Jan-Ole Gerster (Director, Screenplay), Blaž Kutin (Screenplay), Lawrie Doran (Screenplay)
with Sam Riley, Stacy Martin, Jack Farthing, Dylan Torrell Germany 2025 English, Spanish 123' Colour World premiere

With

  • Sam Riley (Tom)
  • Stacy Martin (Anne)
  • Jack Farthing (Dave)
  • Dylan Torrell (Anton)

Crew

Director Jan-Ole Gerster
Screenplay Jan-Ole Gerster, Blaž Kutin, Lawrie Doran
Cinematography Juan Sarmiento G.
Editing Matthew Newman, Antje Zynga
Music Dascha Dauenhauer
Sound Design Thomas Kalbér
Production Design Cora Pratz
Casting Luci Lenox
Producers Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo
Executive Producers Jonathan Saubach, Simon B. Stein, Klaus Dohle, Adrià Monés, Maud Petit, Charles Collier
Co-Producers Cosima von Spreti, Anna-Katrin Winkler, Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann, Max Conradt, Marcos Kantis, Martin Lehwald, Jan-Ole Gerster

Produced by

augenschein Filmproduktion

Leonine Studios

Schiwago Film

World Sales

Protagonist Pictures

Photos

Press Conference

Jan-Ole Gerster

© Daniel Poller

Born in 1978, the director began his film industry career in 2004 with various roles including as assistant to Wolfgang Becker on Good Bye, Lenin!. He then studied directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). His debut feature film A Coffee in Berlin was a breakout international success, screening at over 60 international festivals and winning awards including the German Film Award in Gold and the European Film Award for Best Debut Film. His second feature Lara premiered at Karlovy Vary, where it received awards including the Special Jury Prize, and was nominated for the German Film Award. Islands is his first film in English.

Filmography

2012 Oh Boy (A Coffee in Berlin) 2019 Lara 2025 Islands

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025