Celebrating Our 20th Anniversary!
by Alex Billington
July 2, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Why do you not trust your own department?” Screen has revealed the first official trailer for an acclaimed German indie film titled Prosecution, a legal thriller about the far-right & racism in Germany. Also titled Staatsschutz in German, the film premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, obviously, to mostly good reviews. I’m a big fan of this one – I called it a “Lean, Mean, Gripping Legal Thriller” in my review. Prosecution follows Seyo Kim, a German public prosecutor, who is determined to confront far-right violence in eastern Germany with the resources of the state. But when she survives a racist attack on her own life, Seyo takes matters into her own hands – putting her life further at risk. She goes full-on trying to bring down a far-right neo-Nazi network, only to discover it isn’t so easy in Germany’s so called “objective” legal system. Throughout the trial, Seyo learns firsthand what it means to entrust the pursuit of justice to a state that applies double standards and not only downplays far-right violence, but at times even protects it. It’s a fascinating look at just how unfair the law can be. The film stars Chen Emilie Yan as Seyo, Julia Jentsch, Alev Irmak, Arnd Klawitter, and Sebastian Urzendowsky. It can be a bit melodramatic but to good effect and to make a very powerful point. I highly recommend catching this one if it plays near you.
Here’s the first official trailer for Faraz Shariat’s thriller Prosecution, direct from YouTube:
Via Berlinale: “With all the resources and authority of the state behind her, young prosecutor Seyo Kim is determined to confront far-right violence in eastern Germany. But when she, herself, becomes a target – surviving a racist attack on her life – Seyo decides to investigate on her own, defying explicit orders from her superiors and putting her life further at risk. Seyo finally succeeds in bringing one of the attackers to trial & fights to expose him as part of a wider right-wing network. She digs deep into her office’s archives, reopens long-closed ‘isolated cases’ and maneuvers seemingly harmless witnesses into revealing their ties – not only to the network but also to the attack on her own life. Germany’s public prosecution service is the most objective institution in the world – or so the myth goes.” Prosecution, also known as Staatsschutz in German, is directed by German filmmaker Faraz Shariat, director of the film Futur Drei previously, plus short films and TV eps of “The Baby” & “Zeit Verbrechen”. The screenplay is written by Claudia Schaefer, Jee-Un Kim, and Dr. Sun-Ju Choi. It’s produced by Paulina Lorenz, Jorgo Narjes, and Faraz Shariat. This initially premiered at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival earlier in the year (read our review). Prosecution opens first in Germany starting on August 27th, 2026. No US release date has been set yet – stay tuned for news.
