Goethe-Institut London

🎬 Goethe‑Kino: Köln 75
A film by Ido Fluk

Quirky and fast‑paced, Köln 75 tells the story behind one of jazz history’s most iconic concerts. In 1975, teenage promoter Vera Brandes organised Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert – a performance that would go on to make music history.

An affectionate ode to the people behind great art, and to one young woman whose determination made the impossible happen.

📅 Thu 2 July 2026, 7pm
📍 Goethe‑Institut London
🎟 £6 / £3 concessions and for Goethe‑Institut language students and library members

🔗Tickets via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27287612

Please note: this screening takes place on a Thursday.

Exchange2Change Kicking Off Connections is officially underway - and what a start! ⚽🎥🇬🇧🇩🇪

Our participants from the UK and Germany first met in Mönchengladbach on Sunday and have already enjoyed a rich and inspiring programme hosted by our partners Lernort Stadion: Bildungspark DeKull. They took part in workshops on gender equality in sports and diversity in media production, visited the Borussia Mönchengladbach stadium, and began developing their own creative media projects, from documentary filmmaking and podcasting to photography and sports journalism.

Kicking Off Connections supports creative collaboration, builds leadership and teamwork skills, and offers insights into professional football training and media production. The initiative contributes to the implementation of the Kensington Treaty, strengthening cooperation in education, supporting language learning, fostering cultural exchange, and building lasting links between young people in both countries.

The programme is funded by the Friends of the Goethe‑Institut UK and the Auswärtiges Amt.

Photos: Olad Aden

Welcome to Slanguage School: This week's phrase: '(Keinen) Bock haben'

It literally means 'to have billy goat'. Yes, it makes no sense in English.😅

Bock haben is one of the most common everyday slang expressions in German.
It describes your level of motivation or interest in doing something, basically your emotional “yes/no” button for life.

👉 Ich hab' Bock = I feel like it / I’m up for it
👉 Ich hab' keinen Bock = I don’t feel like it / I can’t be bothered / I’m not in the mood

It can be used for literally anything, from going out with friends to answering emails you’ve been avoiding for 3 days. 😭

Example:
A: Wanna go out tonight?
B: Ich hab keinen Bock, I'm so tired.

Or

A: Bock auf Pizza?
B: Absolutely, I love Pizza!

If you're a young learner, we have specially-tailored courses and supports on offer, which are a great way to build your skills and confidence in German. Check out when our next round of courses for young learners begins at the link below. 🔗

https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/spr/kur.html

🎬 Raindance Film Festival returns to London’s West End for its 34th edition.
As part of this year’s programme, several German productions and co-productions are featured across the festival – including:
Stella Marie Markert’s debut Thanks for Nothing
and a selection of short films
▪️RADIX by Anne Breymann
▪️The Swimsuit (Der Badeanzug) by Amina Krami
▪️Vanity Pig Trail by Christoph Mushayija Rath

📍 Vue Piccadilly, London
🗓 Wed 17 – Fri 26 Jun 2026
🔗More information and full programme via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon/ver.cfm?event_id=27286423

Raindance

Big screen entertainment awaits in June with the new film in the "Cracks in Reality" series:

Discover the dazzling world of film in Sophie Linnenbaum's THE ORDINARIES on goethe-on-demand.de, the free streaming platform of the Goethe-Institut.
THE ORDINARIES transports us to a surreal cinematic world with clear hierarchies between main characters, supporting characters, and marginalized "outtakes." Sixteen-year-old Paula embarks on a search for her father and discovers not only friendship, but also the brutal and unjust rules of this society.

Stream now – free on goethe-on-demand.de!
https://www.goethe-on-demand.de/

THE ORDINARIES
Image © Bandenfilm

We’re delighted to support Café OTO in presenting Alexander von Schlippenbach’s legendary Globe Unity Orchestra for a three-day residency this November.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the Globe Unity Orchestra remains one of the most influential voices in free jazz. This special residency brings together an outstanding 15-piece line-up, including Evan Parker, Aki Takase and Paul Lytton.

Join us in celebrating this milestone and experience a unique moment in experimental music on the orchestra’s first visit to Café OTO.

📅 Tue 3 – Thu 5 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
📍 Cafe OTO, London
🔗 Tickets and more info via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon/ver.cfm?event_id=27287385

Café OTO

Kicking Off Connections: funded football exchanges ⚽

Schools, colleges, youth groups and football clubs will have the chance to travel abroad as part of this grassroots sporting exchange aimed at supporting young people and providing opportunities to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The “Kicking Off Connections” initiative forms part of the implementation of the Kensington Treaty and promotes intercultural understanding through peer-to-peer connections between young people.

Design your own football exchange to create new connections for young people from the UK and Germany. We’ll provide comprehensive support and guidance to reach your goals.

Don't have a partner? No problem – we'll help make the perfect match. No knowledge of German is required.

Join one of our webinars to get the ball rolling and register your interest!
https://ow.ly/y4eA50Z7I8c


Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office UKinGermany German Embassy London British Council Schools IJAB - Fachstelle für Internationale Jugendarbeit Pädagogischer Austauschdienst PAD

Erasmus+ is a valuable opportunity for UK schools to build international partnerships and gain new perspectives. Sharing these British Council webinars as a helpful introduction to getting started:

Erasmus+ events for schools | British Council A series of free online events to help schools discover what Erasmus+ can offer and get started on a project with an international partner.

📚 June’s Library Spotlight marks a double anniversary for Austrian poet Ingeborg Bachmann (1926–1973): 25 June 2026 would have been her 100th birthday, and the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize turns 50. Her lasting influence on European literature and feminist thought is reflected in both honours.

Find out more about her life and writing on our literature blog Cherrypicker (Rosinenpicker), featuring an interview on the continued relevance of the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize and a revisit of her post-war poetry collection Die gestundete Zeit (Time Deferred), exploring language, memory and silence 👇
https://www.goethe.de/prj/ger/en/ihr/bks.html

You can also explore our collection of works by and about Ingeborg Bachmann, including poetry, letters and biographies, in the Goethe-Institut London library 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon/bi2.html

This weekend: art, science, and hands-on experiences across South Kensington! 👇
Join us at the Great Exhibition Road Festival (6–7 June) and explore the Goethe‑Institut London programme: discover original drawings by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, step into an immersive VR journey back to the Great Exhibition of 1851, take part in Moving Through Time – a dance experiment, and join interactive workshops and German language tasters for all ages.
All our sessions are drop-in (no booking required), and you can also sign up for a free library membership for one year during the weekend.

Please note: registration is required for Moving Through Time via the festival website.

Alongside this, we’re proud to be part of the London: City of Languages festival, celebrating the incredible linguistic diversity of our city.

📅 6–7 Jun 2026
📍 Goethe‑Institut London
👉 Explore our programme: https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27248463
👉 Register & view the full festival programme: https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/
👉 More about London: City of Languages: https://londoncityoflanguages.org.uk/

Great Exhibition Road Festival

Big news - Exchange2Change applications are now live!

This autumn, two creative and one vocational programme will bring young people from the UK and Germany together to learn, explore and collaborate.

As the Goethe‑Institut UK’s flagship youth‑mobility initiative, Exchange2Change offers participants the chance to develop leadership and teamwork skills, work on joint creative projects, and gain insights into professional and artistic pathways.

In line with the goals of the Kensington Treaty, the programme fosters meaningful cultural exchanges that shape participants’ futures and build lasting connections across borders.

🚨 Deadline for all programmes: 21 June 2026
🔗 Find out more and apply now via the Gimagine link here👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/spr/e2c.html

Join us for a special performance and launch of the online exhibition, Ghost in the Loop, featuring the live video game performance of Shaheer Tarar’s The Compression Zone. Exploring compression algorithms as one of the primary engines of world-making today, the game navigates a perilous, multi-resolution dungeon where all the world’s data is sent to be compressed.

Immerse yourself in this experience, partly besieged by memes and conspiracy, and look out for our unique holographic stickers to swap and collect!

📅 Fri 29 May 2026, 6-8PM
📍 The Photographers’ Gallery, London
🎟️ Free, booking essential
🔗 Find more info via the events link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27141131

Ghost in the Loop includes works by Célune Acheampong, Linden Derichs, Valia Lolidou, Mariana Marangoni, Martyna Marciniak and Shaheer Tarar. It is part of Inverted World Labs, a collaboration between and .institut.london

Welcome to Slanguage School! This week's phrase: 'Jemanden Hops nehmen'

If someone says „Ich nehm dich hops“ or „du wirst hops genommen“, don't panic, there is no actual hopping involved. It just means you’re about to get teased,
roasted, or playfully exposed. 😌

Examples:
A: Is he serious?
B: Nein, er nimmt dich nur Hops!

Would you like to use more German slang words naturally? Join one of our German courses at the Goethe-Institut in UK and pick up the language the way it's really spoken.

👉 Link below:
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/spr/kur.html

With the Great Exhibition Road Festival just around the corner (6-7 June), we're looking forward to celebrating the vibrant mix of science and arts here in South Kensington.

As you stroll down Exhibition Road, drop by the Goethe‑Institut to explore an exhibition of original drawings by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler. You can also experience an immersive VR journey into the Great Exhibition of 1851, as well as interactive workshops and German language tasters for all ages.

We’re also proud to be taking part in the inaugural London Festival of Languages, which brings communities together and celebrates London’s extraordinary linguistic diversity.

📅 6-7 Jun 2026
📍 Goethe‑Institut London
🔗 Tickets and more info about the Great Exhibition Road Festival and the London: City of Languages initiative via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27248463

Great Exhibition Road Festival

Exciting news! Last week we held our very first workshop to create the teaching materials for the National German A-Level Class (NGAC), which will pilot this autumn together with various secondary schools.

The workshop marks the beginning of a programme designed to give any student who wants to continue with German at A-level the opportunity to do so, regardless of their school’s individual circumstances.

In partnership with Languages for All, the Goethe Institut UK is launching a collaborative A-level model where teaching is shared between the partner school teacher (in person) and an NGAC teacher (live online). This blended approach ensures high quality and consistent German teaching across participating schools.

The NGAC initiative supports schools that may not have the staff, cohort size, or timetable capacity to offer A level German on their own. Through shared teaching and resources, it gives students the opportunity to progress confidently from GCSE to A level.

Want to find out more? Get in touch with us at [email protected]!

🎬 Goethe Kino: Fever - A film by Elfi Mikesch

Complementing our Elfi Mikesch series, this feature film is inspired by memories of her father, a Foreign Legionnaire stationed in North Africa in the 1920s and 1930s. Moving between 1952 and the present day, the film weaves together the perspectives of a child and her adult self to explore how war reverberates across generations, and the role of photography in recording, processing and perpetuating violence.

Fever revisits the theme of the Foreign Legion father, first explored in her film Marocain (1983), which we are screening on 26 May 2026. Join us for both films to discover their completely different approaches.

📅 Wed 27 May 2026, 7PM
📍 Goethe Institut London
🎟️ £6 / £3 concessions and for Goethe Institut language students and library members
🔗 Tickets via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27260895

Part of Constellations of Desire: The Films of Elfi Mikesch, until 7 Jun 2026 at the Goethe-Institut London and the ICA

Club des Femmes

Welcome to Slanguage School: This week's phrase: 'Boah ey'

Translation?
There isn’t one.

It’s basically a full emotional support system in two words. It's one of those expressions Germans use almost daily, usually when words alone are no longer enough.

Examples:
A: Your train is delayed by 45 minutes.🚆
B: Boah ey...

Or: Boah ey, this Pizza is so delicious🍕

Would you like to use more German slang words naturally? Join one of our German courses at Goethe-Institut UK and pick up the language the way it's really spoken.

👉 Link below:
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/spr/kur.html

🎬 Watch Elfi Mikesch’s autobiographically inspired feature film Marocain (1989) on the big screen.

Set within the intimate space of a small flat, the film immerses us in the complex, at times antagonistic yet loving relationship between a dying mother and her adult daughter. Their conversations circle around the absent father – a Foreign Legionnaire who disappeared to Morocco – and a place shaped by longing and conflicting recollections.

Punctuated by vivid images of North Africa, Marocain reflects on memory, desire and differing experiences of the same past.

Based on motifs from New Portuguese Letters by the Three Marias – Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta and Maria Velho da Costa.

Mikesch returned to the figure of the Foreign Legionnaire father more than 20 years later in Fieber (2014), screening on 27 May as part of Goethe-Kino.

📅 Tue 26 May 2026, 7PM
📍 Goethe-Institut London
🎟️ £6 / £3 concessions and for Goethe-Institut language students and library members

🔗 Tickets and more info via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon/ver.cfm?event_id=27260869

Part of Constellations of Desire: The Films of Elfi Mikesch, until 7 Jun 2026 at the Goethe-Institut London and the ICA

Club des Femmes

Welcoming Nino Haratischwili to London ✨
We are thrilled to host the award-winning German-Georgian novelist and dramatist as Writer in Residence at the Goethe-Institut London – in partnership with UCL European Institute, EUNIC London and European Literature Network.
Celebrated for her commentary on both the personal and the political, Nino’s work has been translated into numerous languages. Her worldwide bestseller The Eighth Life (for Brilka) was nominated for the International Booker Prize; The Cat and the General was shortlisted for the German Book Prize in 2018; and The Lack of Light (German 2022; English 2025) is her most recent novel.

📚 Want to get to know more about her and her work? Hear Nino this very weekend, in conversation with Vincenzo Latronico (Italy), chaired by Maya Jaggi, on Saturday evening at the British Library, as part of the European Writers’ Festival.

📅 Sat 16 May 2026, 5:45PM
📍 British Library, London
🎟️ Tickets and livestream options via 👇
https://events.bl.uk/events/european-writers-festival

We wish Nino a productive and enjoyable stay in London!

🔗 More on this residency and our other residency partnerships 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/kul/res.html

🎬 Immerse yourself in Elfi Mikesch’s dreamlike experimental feature film, Macumba (1983) – preceded by her photo film Ex*****on – A Study of Mary (1979).
In Macumba, Mikesch tells a detective story with themes of longing, violence and obsession through striking imagery of a dilapidated house, which sets the stage for her film.
The expressive black and white tableaux of Ex*****on condense the ‘royal story’ of Mary Stuart in a deliberately stylised form, foregrounding passion, power, love and pain.
Come along for an evening of compelling visual storytelling with an introduction by curator, lecturer and writer, Helen de Witt.
📅 Mon 18 May 2026, 7PM
📍 Goethe Institut London
🎟️ £6 / £3 concessions and for Goethe Institut language students and library members
🔗 Tickets and more info via the link below 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/ver.cfm?event_id=27260744

Part of Constellations of Desire: The Films of Elfi Mikesch, until 7 Jun 2026 at the Goethe-Institut London and the ICA

Club des Femmes

We warmly invite you to join the free 6th Online Colloquium on Early Plurilingualism, organised by the Goethe Institut France and the British Council.

How can education support children to develop multiple languages? With simultaneous English translation, the event invites you to explores how language responsive teaching and CLIL approaches can strengthen learning across the curriculum.

📅 When? Wed, 10 Jun 2026
⏰ Time? 2:30 - 4:30 PM (CET)
📍 Where? Online
🗣️ Languages? English, German, French
🔗 Register via the link here 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/fr/en/spr/unt/frb/gia/ok6.html

Our Library Spotlight this month highlights the work and legacy of trailblazing author and playwright, Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956).

With the Royal Shakespeare Company performing The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and the Globe staging Mother Courage and Her Children this spring, we shine a light on Brecht’s plays.

Come visit our library to explore a collection of German plays in both German and English, as well as our section of literature about theatre.

Follow the link below to find out more about our library 👇
https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/sta/lon/bi2.html

Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare's Globe

Apply now for your chance to join the fully funded Karriere Quantum Camp in Berlin, Germany this autumn!

After the success of our previous international camps, we are thrilled to meet this year’s participants and spend a week in Berlin with students and teachers from all across Europe.

Are you curious about what a career in the emerging field of quantum applications could look like? Would you like to explore this cutting-edge technology while also improving your German?

Students aged 16 to 18 and teachers of all subjects are welcome to apply! We encourage applications from arts and sciences alike. No prior knowledge is required!

🔗 Find out more and apply at goethe.de/kq

📅Application deadline: 21 June
📆 Camp dates: 4-10 October

Organised by: Goethe-Institut Irland