Story perspectives

Cannes Debut “Fatherland” Streams on MUBI – Mann Tour Drama

5/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

Fatherland premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and will stream on MUBI.
The 82-minute black-and-white drama follows Thomas Mann’s 1949 tour of Frankfurt and Soviet-controlled Weimar, where he receives the Goethe prize.
Director Pawlikowski co-wrote the screenplay with Hendrik Handloegten and reunited with cinematographer Lukasz Zal for the film.
Sandra Hüller portrays Erika, highlighting the family’s grief over Klaus Mann’s suicide and the myth of internal emigration.

History

Historical Context

In 1949 Thomas Mann traveled to Frankfurt for the 200th-birthday celebrations of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the first major cultural event in the new Federal Republic. The visit, coming after his wartime exile and his 1929 Nobel win, symbolised West Germany’s effort to rebuild a unified literary identity across the divided nation.

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Story summary

Fatherland premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and will stream on MUBI.
The 82-minute black-and-white drama follows Thomas Mann’s 1949 tour of Frankfurt and Soviet-controlled Weimar, where he receives the Goethe prize.
Director Pawlikowski co-wrote the screenplay with Hendrik Handloegten and reunited with cinematographer Lukasz Zal for the film.
Sandra Hüller portrays Erika, highlighting the family’s grief over Klaus Mann’s suicide and the myth of internal emigration.

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