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Palliativstation

Palliative Care Unit
Forum 2025
© Philipp Döring
“It’s not about giving life more days, it’s about giving days more life” is one of the ideas formulated by Cicely Saunders, the founder of palliative care. It flickers up during a presentation in Philipp Döring’s four-hour institutional observation while a carer instructs a new staff member. They are at the Franziskus hospital in Berlin. Döring documents a few months here between the start of the year and summer, accompanying doctors on their rounds and in consultations with relatives and listening in on the team’s internal exchanges, which don’t shy away from mentioning shortcomings. A safe space is created that follows its own rules, in which dialogues about life paths are taken up and reflected upon, progress is celebrated and approaching farewells entrusted to the necessary people. Palliativstation is thus also a film about language, which shifts between medical jargon and different dialects and is sometimes only able to be produced with technical help. Döring gets very close to death, but with it also to life. His film is weighty, impressive and yet never becomes crushing under the burden of fate. One thing quickly becomes clear: life only ends with the final heartbeat.
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by Philipp Döring (Director)
with Sebastian Pfrang, Winfried Hardinghaus, Annette Ortmann, Tabea Sammer Germany 2025 German 245' Colour World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form

With

  • Sebastian Pfrang
  • Winfried Hardinghaus
  • Annette Ortmann
  • Tabea Sammer

Crew

Director Philipp Döring
Cinematography Philipp Döring
Editing Philipp Döring
Producer Philipp Döring
Executive Producer Philipp Döring

Produced by

Philipp Döring

Photos

Philipp Döring

© Philipp Döring

Philipp Döring was born in 1977 in Freiburg. He studied German philology and, later, film directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württenberg. His thesis film Am anderen Ende won the First Steps Award and the Deutsche Kamerapreis. He shot more short films as well as videos for NGOs, and worked in various theatres for Luk Perceval. Despite his love of feature films, he primarily earns his money making short videos for social media. Palliativstation is his first feature-length documentary. Döring currently lives with his family in a small village in Tuscany.

Filmography ( selection)

2009 Am anderen Ende (At the Other End); short film 2012 Nagel zum Sarg (The Nail); short film 2013 Kann ja noch kommen (Maybe Later); short film 2016 Meander; experimental film 2020 Exil Backstage; web series 2025 Palliativstation (Palliative Care Unit)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025