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The Lights, They Fall

Generation 14plus 2026
© Tom Otte, VajdaFilm
Sixteen-year-old Ilay aimlessly drifts through the outskirts of Berlin. His mother, Maria, lies on her deathbed, cared for by Ana, a Mexican palliative nurse. Refusing to accept his mother’s impending death, Ilay retreats further into himself, increasingly shutting himself off from reality. Through slow, contemplative images, the film follows Ilay and Ana in their daily routines, from Ana’s quiet dedication to Maria’s care to her struggles with her own addiction. Ilay works in a logistics centre, does community service and spends his afternoons hanging out with his friends at a lake. At night, he is restless, wandering the city in a sleepless daze like a ghost. During one of his nocturnal outings, he impulsively steals a dog, prompting Ana to take him to a psychologist. There, Ilay reveals his deep-seated belief in the impossibility of death. As his mother’s passing approaches, it becomes less an inevitability and more a matter of mystery and speculation.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Saša Vajda (Director, Screenplay)
with Mohammed Yassin Ben Majdouba, Flor Prieto Catemaxca, Mahira Hakberdieva, Safet Bajraj, Shanthi Philipp, Solomon Guye, Mahir Özel Germany 2026 German 87' Colour World premiere | Debut film recommendation: 14 years and up

With

  • Mohammed Yassin Ben Majdouba (Ilay)
  • Flor Prieto Catemaxca (Ana)
  • Mahira Hakberdieva (Maria)
  • Safet Bajraj (Srdjan)
  • Shanthi Philipp (Shanthi)
  • Solomon Guye (Samu)
  • Mahir Özel (Abdel)

Crew

Director Saša Vajda
Screenplay Saša Vajda
Cinematography Tom Otte
Editing Denys Darahan, Saša Vajda
Sound Design Jan Pasemann
Production Design Stella Rossié
Costumes Ulé Barcelos
Make-Up Laura Larios Stucki
Casting Saša Vajda, Elisabeth Werchosin
Producers Chantal Scheiner, Saša Vajda, David Vajda
Executive Producers Dan Wechsler, Andreas Roald, Jamal Zeinal-Zade
Co-Producers Kristof Gerega, Sophie Ahrens, Fabian Altenried

Produced by

vajda film

München, Germany

Co-produced by

Schuldenberg Films

Berlin, Germany

ZDF Das Kleine Fernsehspiel

Photos

Saša Vajda

© Elena Peters Arnolds

Born in 1986 in Munich, Germany, the writer and director studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris but is an autodidact as a filmmaker. His mid-length film Jesus Egon Christus, which he co-directed with David Vajda, premiered in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section of the Berlinale in 2021 and went on to screen at festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Filmography

2021 Jesus Egon Christus (Jesus Egon Christ); co-directed by David Vajda, Berlinale 2021 2026 The Lights, They Fall; Berlinale 2026

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026