The uptight Jewish finance director of a lavish Baroque court unexpectedly finds himself forced to convince his hot-headed young ruler to get a circumcision. He meets the temperamental ducal couple for an uncomfortable cup of tea, desperate to circumvent a genitalia-induced national crisis.

Helen and her brother Henri take revenge on the renowned wind-up bird collector Viktoria who stole their magical family heirloom. Oh yes – and all of them have a screw in their backs.

Available for streaming on arte.tv

Music composed by Jonas Vogler and played by:

Lukas Wögler Quartet
Lukas Wögler – Tenor Saxophone
Moritz Langmaier – Piano
Erik Biscalchin – Bass
David Giesel – Drums

His obsessive thoughts lead 21-year-old Melvin to the edge of a cliff, far up north on the edge of civilization. The last thing he expects is to find a bar right there, but here it is: „The Last Bar,“ run by an old lady in a wheelchair who invites him in. Within a very short time, Melvin gets to know different fates and when he is finally confronted directly with death, he takes responsibility for the first time. At the end of the night he realizes that he has found a warm place for himself in all the darkness that surrounds him.

Violin played by Finn Stamer

The Bear – A Story from the World of Gra is an interactive good night story for mobile. It is an intergenerational bed time experience and an introduction into the extensive storyworld World of Gra.

Two friends, the bear and the little one, go on a journey through a dreamy little universe, collecting stories and stars.

The soundtrack for this game is available for streaming on all platforms, you can also buy it on Bandcamp.

A newly minted pool owner finds himself in a moral dilemma between the promise of a pool to his young daughter and his new partner’s charity event for a drinking water project in Barsaloi.

Throughout No More Pool Time, there is a persistent sense of awkwardness—failed communication, trying to do the right thing while doing everything wrong, all while maintaining the facade of having everything under control. The music reflects this by pairing a rather traditional, almost baroque string ensemble with unusual, slightly hollow vocals. Drums provide a constant, unsettling drive as the story unfolds. The score balances the outward appearance of control with the chaos simmering beneath, where every word and action pushes matters further out of hand. In the final act, as tensions reach their peak, the music offers a calm counterpoint, finally illustrating the release of that built-up pressure.

Available to stream on ARD Mediathek.

Luca is an influencer. For as long as she can remember, she has been the star of her parents‘ family social media business and their sole pride and joy. When her parents decide to have another child, the situation changes. Luca feels betrayed and is afraid that her parents will no longer need her, whose attention remains tied to her performance for the family account. But then Luca tries to free herself from external control and commercialism.

In Babystar, a central theme is Luca’s search for identity, shaped by her relationships with her parents, her home, her followers, and the other people she encounters. Few elements in music—whether creating or listening—touch us as deeply and connect so strongly to our sense of self as the human voice. From the very beginning, the idea was to use the voice as a central element of the score. In Babystar, the voice appears in many forms: sometimes natural, sometimes heavily transformed—distorted through guitar pedals, processed in a sampler, or enhanced with autotune. The music conveys how Luca’s self-image and sense of identity are influenced both by her parents and by the digital platforms where she has millions of followers. Throughout the film, Luca searches for her own voice, and the music follows her on this journey, giving expression to her disorientation and pain.

Parts of the score were written very early in the film’s development. The final scene, for instance, was shot to music that remains in place in the finished film. During editing, the team largely avoided using temporary tracks, instead working with early musical sketches that were later recomposed and fully produced.

Much of the score was created from recordings in Jonas’ studio, using a wide variety of instruments—many of which were later heavily processed. These included guitar, trombone, body percussion, and voice, as well as more unconventional sounds such as a toy glockenspiel, body percussion and a Colombian guacharaca.

The vocals featured in the score are performed by members of the Berlin Singers Collective.

For Fred, his favorite Späti is like a second home. When the owner has to travel to Turkey at short notice and his daughter Aylin has to concentrate on school, Fred’s second living room is suddenly at stake – and Fred knows he has to act. How hard can it be to stand behind the Späti counter for a few days? But the sudden responsibility quickly pushes him to his limits. Fred can use all the help he can get, because not only the most diverse regular customers and bizarre Späti guests are on his doorstep, but also the landlady Mrs. Gröner, who will use any means to get the Späti out of the building.

For SPÄTI, we chose to lean into a warm, slightly nostalgic musical atmosphere—raw and direct, yet also welcoming and open. At the same time, the series has plenty of comedy and action, which called for a musical palette capable of delivering energetic, fast-paced moments. To strike this balance, we settled on a simple rock band setup with drums, bass, guitar, and piano, occasionally enriched with a touch of strings. This reduced instrumentation helped create a cohesive sound across all eight episodes. Small motifs weave through the score, guiding the audience through the different characters who spend their time in the Späti.

The show is available to stream on ZDF Mediathek.

Photos: ZDF / Norman Keutgen