Prosecution screens as part of this year’s 2026 HSBC German Film Festival, more information about the festival is available here: The 2026 HSBC German Film Festival returns to cinemas in May
Read the Glam Adelaide story about the festival here: 2026 HSBC German Film Festival begins 6 May to 27 May at Palace Nova Cinemas – Glam Adelaide
Winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Berlinale, Prosecution builds into an engrossing legal battle against far-right violence and extremism in modern day Germany and is a compelling highlight of this year’s German Film Festival.
The story centres on a young state prosecutor, Seyo Kim (Chen Emilie Yan), who was born in Germany and has a Korean father. She comes to the attention of extremists as she prosecutes perpetrators of violence in the name of far-right ideology. She is attacked as she is cycling by being set on fire by a molotov cocktail thrown at her from a bridge. Although she is told by her boss, Chief Prosecutor Forch (Arnd Klawitter), to stay away from the investigation of her case, she begins to investigate the suspected offenders but is disappointed with Forch’s attitude to her findings. Without permission and defying direct orders, she begins to dig deeper into old files whose cases also involve far-right political violence.
Seyo’s father is duped into revealing her home address and she knows that she is in danger. Helped by her work colleague, Ayten Alican (Alev Irmak), to gain further access to the old files, she starts to build the connections between the perpetrators that leads her to question the legal system she is working in which has been regarded as one of the most objective institutions in the world.
Co-writers Claudia Schaefer, Jee-Un Kim, and Dr. Sun-Ju Choi’ s script is clever and paced to maintain attention to the very end as it builds its layers. The research into the rise of hate crimes in Germany pays dividends in the telling of this important story.
Director Faraz Shariat with cinematographer Lotta Kilian brilliantly brings the story to life in the light and shade of Seyo’s investigations and her findings. The court scenes, in particular, are especially well handled as they create impressive tension between the combatants.
Chen Emilie Yan in the pivotal role of Seyo masterfully holds the film together with an outstanding performance supported superbly by the rest of the cast including those playing the sinister extremists.
With the continuing rise of hate crimes throughout the world, Prosecution provides a warning that the institutions that are supposed to keep society safe should be vigilant from being undermined from the inside.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 5 out of 5
Distributor: Palace Films
Persecution is a cleverly paced film that maintains the audience’s attention to the end.
