Acting
Melanie Straub (born 1976 in Waiblingen) is a German actress. Melanie Straub wanted to become an actress even as a child; however, she initially began with pantomime, as she felt she was too shy at the time. After graduating from high school, and at her parents' request, she first completed training as a physiotherapist; she subsequently worked for about a year in a psychiatric facility, where she led a theater group for patients with substance use disorders. From 2000 to 2003/04, she studied acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. In 2004, she received the Ensemble Prize at the Theatertreffen deutschsprachiger Schauspielstudierender (Theater Festival for German-Speaking Acting Students) in Graz for her performance in *Die Gerechten*. Her first permanent engagement took her to Schauspiel Magdeburg, where she was a member of the ensemble starting in 2004. There, she played—among other roles—Effi Briest, Lady Macbeth, and the title roles in *Maria Stuart*, *Iphigenie auf Tauris*, and *Emilia Galotti*. In 2006, she was awarded the Young Artists' Sponsorship Prize at Theater Magdeburg, and in 2010, she received the Otto Kasten Prize for young theater artists. From 2009 to 2017, Straub was a member of the ensemble at the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam. There, she played—among other roles—Blanche DuBois in *A Streetcar Named Desire*, Katharina in *The Taming of the Shrew*, and roles in *Three Sisters*, *Dogville*, and *Kirschgarten – Die Rückkehr*. In 2015, she was awarded the Potsdam Theater Prize. Starting in 2017, she also appeared as a guest performer at Schauspiel Frankfurt. Alongside her theater work, Straub has also taken on roles in film and television productions. She has appeared in—among others—*Willkommen auf dem Land*, *Neufeld, mitkommen!*, *Hedi Schneider steckt fest*, *Als wir träumten*, and *Die Protokollantin*, as well as in the ZDF television series *SOKO Wismar*. Melanie Straub is married to the actor Wolfgang Vogler and is the mother of two children.


Kathleen Selchow has been working as an educator in a daycare center for many years and leads a harmonious life with her husband Robert and son Luca, who goes to elementary school. The experienced educator takes charge of the motley group of children on an excursion to the nearby forest. Suddenly, Kathleen notices that two children, Jenny and Nico, are missing. A dramatic search with a tragic outcome begins. From one minute to the next, nothing in Kathleen's life is as it was.

The former boxer Ronald has lost his short-term memory after an accident. Now nothing is the same. Roland's world has no future, and the past only exists in his mind up until his accident.

The cabaret artist Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo are faced with a problem: Lisbeth, the mother of Maria has taken a wrong turn somewhere and is now denying the climate crisis on the Internet. How can she be brought to her senses? The two make a bet with each other: If they don't manage to bring Maria's mother to her senses, they will lose their apartment. So Marc-Uwe and the marsupial embark on a trip to the Conspiracy Convention in Bielefeld and shortly thereafter become part of a tangible conspiracy led by conspiracy guru Adam Krieger and his followers. As the two flatmates talk their heads off, it's no longer just about their apartment for Marc-Uwe and the kangaroo, it's more than that: it's a matter of life and death!

As young musicians Jean and Helena brace for parenthood amidst job insecurities, their lives collide with landlord Klara's enigmatic breakdown. Accepting her offer of rent-free living, they embark on a surreal journey, encountering societal judgments and forming unexpected connections that shape their intertwined destinies.

Nick Neufeld was abused by some classmates, and a judge sentences the main offender to 120 hours of gardening. All good? No: mother Beate sees that Nick is skipping school out of fear and withdrawing more and more. She wants the perpetrators to be expelled from school and the teachers to be held accountable. But for others, the case has long since been closed...

A model family's happy life unexpectedly goes off the rails when the carefree Hedi, played by Laura Tonke, suddenly starts having panic attacks. First mental illness and then drug dependency – the happiness that these happy-go-lucky thirty-somethings once took for granted suddenly seems unattainable, and their world fragile and uncertain.

Andreas Dresen's adaptation of Clemens Meyer's novel about a group of East German friends right after the fall of the Wall.

Diagnosis burnout: The successful career woman Toni Lehmstedt can be referred to a psychiatric clinic after a physical breakdown. Urs Egger's free adaptation of the biographical novel of the same name by Miriam Meckel with Grimme award winner Marie Bäumer in the leading role.

At the end of the 19th century in an isolated mansion: a young maid has to help undress her new mistress, who is suffering from hysteria. Even though the attacks scare the girl, she is being drawn to the hysterical woman. The master, who tries to treat the mistress with hypnosis, wants to break the womens’ bond.