12. – 15. Nov. 2026
BEYOND Festival

A small village deep in the Swabian Forest. The last village shop is about to close. Between nostalgia and decline, idyll and desolation, five people share their views on society and a place that in many ways reflects a time that no longer exists. A documentary film that captures the spirit of life in the microcosm of a German village.

Director Biography - Adrian Sagolla

Adrian Sagolla was born in Duisburg in 1997. He worked as a mail carrier, lighting technician, video journalist and studied Communication Science at the University of Münster, where he focused on the psychological and sociological aspects of film reception. He then worked as an assistant director on fictional cinema and television productions. Since 2022, he has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. He is interested in people and places that have slipped out of focus - overlooked realities, invisible everyday mechanisms, and ephemeral spaces that fall through the cracks.

Director's Statement
Spiegelberg, with a population of 2,100, is a small community in the Swabian Forest.
The town exemplifies many of the challenges facing rural regions: declining infrastructure, a shortage of doctors, shop closures, rural exodus, an ageing population – and growing support for right-wing populism. In several elections, the AfD has emerged as the strongest force here. The clichés are familiar: urban, progressive elites on the one hand – conservative, marginalised rural populations on the other.
I wanted to immerse myself, without prejudice, in a place that reflects these issues. In Spiegelberg, I was fascinated by the feeling of stagnation, idyll and latent anxiety. Ferdinand Rathgeber's old village shop in particular seemed like a relic from another time.
I am convinced that we must listen to the concerns of the people there – even if their political consequences are often incompatible with my values. But in order to counteract alienation and radicalisation, we need dialogue, understanding and, at the same time, a clear stance on unacceptable positions.
As someone who grew up in the countryside myself, I am familiar with the ambivalence of village life – between freedom and confinement. After years in the city, I now feel a new curiosity about these spaces. I am particularly interested in the contrasts: between young and old, long-time residents and newcomers – but also between hope and frustration, everyday life and absurdity.
The film aims to make these contrasts visible without simplifying them – through personal stories and a close look at life in a German village today.