A Land within | Zweitland will be presented for the first time in Los Angeles as part of the German Currents 2026 festival. The film takes us to South Tyrol in 1961, a historical period marked by ethnic tensions and a series of separatist bombings.
The plot follows the story of Paul, a young free spirit and farmer’s son who dreams of leaving his small village to study painting in Munich. His plans are thrown into disarray when his older brother, Anton, is exposed as one of the bombers and is forced to flee, leaving behind his wife Anna and their young son. Paul reluctantly decides to stay to support the family, but as police repression and tensions in the village escalate, he finds himself drawn into a spiral of violence. He is thus forced to choose between fulfilling his own dreams and the need to stand up to his brother.
The film, a 2025 co-production between Germany, Italy, and Austria, marks the feature film debut of director and screenwriter Michael Kofler. Raised in the rural areas of South Tyrol, Kofler studied film directing in London and participated in the Berlinale’s prestigious talent program. With A Land within | Zweitland—whose screenplay won first prize at the IDM Film Commission’s Racconti Development Lab—the director offers a powerful portrayal of the events surrounding the so-called “Night of the Fires.” Through this profound narrative, the film masterfully explores the fine line between personal convictions and radicalization.