The first official U.S. trailer for Germany’s Oscar submission, Sound of Falling, has arrived online. The film will open in select American theaters on Friday, January 16, 2026. This follows its celebrated world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, where it won the prestigious Jury Prize.
Directed by Mascha Schilinski, the movie tells a story that spans a century, all centered on a single, secluded farmstead in Germany’s Altmark region. It follows the lives of four girls from different time periods—Alma (1910s), Erika (1940s), Angelika (1980s), and Lenka (2020s)—whose experiences of youth, trauma, and confinement become eerily linked. An official jury described the film as “formally uncompromising, emotionally existential, and artistically unique”.
Where to Watch the Movie
The specialty film distributor MUBI will be releasing Sound of Falling in several key international markets. Here is the current release schedule for global audiences:
- United States: Theatrical release begins January 16, 2026.
- United Kingdom and Ireland: Released by MUBI. A theatrical release is scheduled for March 6, 2026.
- Germany: The film has been in theaters since August 28, 2025, distributed by Neue Visionen.
- India and Turkey: Also to be released by MUBI.
- Other International Festivals: Before its U.S. debut, the film screened at major festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.
A streaming release date for the film has not been announced at this time.
Understanding the Story of Generations
The movie is built on an unconventional structure. Instead of a straightforward plot, it weaves together moments from the lives of its four main characters across different decades. They are not a direct family line but are connected by the physical and emotional space of the farm.
- Alma, in the 1910s, discovers she was named after a deceased sister and feels doomed to repeat her fate.
- Erika, in the 1940s, develops a dangerous fascination with her disabled uncle.
- Angelika, growing up in East Germany during the 1980s, is trapped between a death wish and a desire for life.
- Lenka (referred to as Nelly in some synopses), in the modern-day 2020s, is haunted by intense dreams and an unconscious burden from the past.
The official synopsis states that as the girls move through their own times, “echoes of the past linger in its walls” and “their lives begin to mirror each other, revealing shared secrets”. The film explores difficult themes including confinement, inherited trauma, and the hidden histories of women. The story was inspired by director Mascha Schilinski and co-writer Louise Peter spending a summer on an Altmark farm and finding an old photograph, which sparked their imagination about the lives of the women who lived there.
“What happened between these walls in the past? Who has sat right in the spot where I’m now sitting?” Schilinski said, recounting the questions that inspired the film.
The People Behind the Camera
Mascha Schilinski is the driving creative force behind the project, serving as both director and co-writer. This is her second feature film. She developed the screenplay with Louise Peter over three years; an early working title was The Doctor Says I’ll Be Alright, But I’m Feelin’ Blue.
The production was a collaboration between Studio Zentral (producers Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt, and Lasse Scharpen) and ZDF/Das Kleine Fernsehspiel, with public funding from German cultural bodies. The producers have highlighted the significance of the film’s Oscar selection, noting the historical underrepresentation of female directors in the awards.
Critical and Festival Reception
Sound of Falling has been a major success on the international festival circuit since its Cannes debut. Critics have praised its bold and poetic approach.
On review aggregation sites, it holds a very strong 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a high score of 91 on Metacritic, indicating “universal acclaim”. After its premiere, the film was invited to and screened at numerous other prestigious festivals, including Shanghai, Karlovy Vary, Toronto, and London.
The film’s technical artistry has also been recognized. It won awards for Best Sound and Best Director for Schilinski at the Chicago International Film Festival, and cinematographer Fabian Gamper won the Silver Frog at Camerimage, a major festival dedicated to cinematography.
Germany’s Official Oscar Submission
In August 2025, an independent nine-member jury in Germany selected Sound of Falling as the country’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. The jury’s statement called the film “a work of rare urgency, masterfully directed, poetic, universal, courageous” and “a physical experience that resonates and burns itself into the memory”.
Germany has won this Oscar three times before: for The Lives of Others (2006), Nowhere in Africa (2002), and most recently, All Quiet on the Western Front (2023). Sound of Falling will now begin the long awards campaign. The Academy will announce a shortlist of 15 international films on December 16, 2025, with the final five nominees revealed on January 17, 2026.
The film has already been sold for distribution in over 40 territories worldwide. The new U.S. trailer marks the start of its push for recognition from American audiences and awards voters.
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