Liebe TCGIS-Gemeinschaft,
On Day 3 of our Woche der TCGIS Einheit / Week of TCGIS Unity we're excited to share with you engaging films and shows in German and/or about German, Austrian or Swiss culture that you can watch now.
Did you know? Germany has a long and rich history in film making. Over 250 films are made annually in Germany alone, and the film and television industry is supported financially by the government and enriched by graduates of multiple film schools and academies (source).
Film buffs may enjoy this list of 10 remarkable German films but today our lists highlight shows that illustrate a wide-range of genres and themes, from thriller to comedy, period drama to science show, that are available to stream right now.
Note: The streaming services like Netflix, AmazonPrime and Hulu offer English subtitles, while the German and Austrian stations like ZDF and ORF do not.
For Grown-ups (a mix of German, and German with English subtitles):
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Welcome to Germany / Willkommen bei den Hartmanns - present-day story about a German family who hosts a refugee from Nigeria, Amazon Prime
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Unorthodox - Emmy-winning mini-series set in NYC and Berlin, Netflix
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Oma & Bella - a moving documentary about two elderly best friends in Berlin, Amazon
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The Divine Order - an empowering film about women’s rights set in 1970s in Switzerland on Amazon Prime
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You Are Wanted - a thriller series on Amazon Prime
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SOKO - police murder mysteries set in various German and Austrian cities on ZDF Mediathek
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The Lives of Others - 2006 Oscar winner availbale on AmazonPrime
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3 Türken und ein Baby / 3 Turks and a Baby - short-film, comedy on Netflix
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Tiefe Wunden: Ein Taunuskrimi - murder mystery based on the book, on ZDF
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Willkommen Österreich - German-Austrian sketches/comedy/current events on ORF TV Thek
For Kids:
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Bibi & Tina - adventures of teen witch Bibi and her friend Tina on Netflix
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Unser Sandmännchen - short stories and skits for young children, YouTube
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Löwenzahn - elementary-age, on ZDF
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Kinderfernsehen (Kids TV) - great for upper-elementary and middle school
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Die Sendung mit der Maus - a range of topics for young learners
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Der kleine Rabe Socke - storytelling for young learners
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Kästner and Little Tuesday - touching true story about children's author, Erich Kästner, on PrimeVideo; ages 13+
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Pefferkörner - a popular detective series for middle schoolers
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Biene Maja - entertaining series based on the film and books, on YouTube
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Willi Wills Wissen - Willi explores a wide-range of topics for kids, YouTube
In Netflix and Disney+ you can change the language to German for many shows; next time your kids ask to watch something, why not see if it's available in German?
Click here for more favorites ... and please add your own favorites to the list!
Watching shows in German helps develop your ear for the cadence and vocabulary of the language. The setting and characters give cultural cues and context, so whether you (or your kids) use subtitles or not, language and culture learning is happening while you watch!
Viel Spaß beim Zuschauen!
Happy watching!
