Although he is only barely 30 years old, actor Jannis Niewöhner is making a name for himself professionally both in Germany and internationally. In fact, it has been a slow and steady rise for him. His career is already approaching a remarkable two decades and he has more than 50 credits on his resume.
Now is a great time to get to know this rising German film star and practice the German language! Get to know Jannis Niewöhner with this month’s German-language films feature.
All three of the film recommendations for this month are German films that are available from streaming services. It’s worth noting that not only are these services convenient for watching at home, but they also frequently include subtitles or audio in German or your local language. For extra German language practice, watch the films in English (or your mother tongue) and then again in German.
Get to Know Jannis Niewöhner
Jannis Niewöhner was born on March 30, 1992, in Krefeld, Germany.
Niewöhner got his start in acting early thanks to his father, actor Uwe Frisch-Niewöhner. One of his first roles was in an episode of Tatort when he was only ten years old.
As a teenager, he pursued acting at Berlin’s Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Beat
2018’s Beat is Amazon’s second original German production for Prime Video. The series consists of seven approximately hour-long episodes and features Jannis Niewöhner as well as Karoline Herfurth and Alexander Fehling.
Niewöhner stars as Robert “Beat” Schlag, a Berlin party boy known as the promoter of one of the city’s most popular clubs. But things take a turn when the European Secret Service enlists Beat’s assistance to work undercover. There is interest in Beat’s social and professional connections. But Beat isn’t prepared for what he finds out and is exposed to.
Je suis Karl
The 2021 film Je suis Karl sees Jannis Niewöhner as the title character of Karl. Directed by Christian Schwochow, the drama focuses on a young woman named Maxi.
Maxi, portrayed by Luna Wedler, has survived a terrorist attack that killed most of her family. But a charismatic student named Karl helps convince her to join a youth movement in Europe. Little does Maxi know that the group is not quite as innocent as it first seems.
Munich – The Edge of War
Based on the 2017 historic novel Munich by Robert Harris, Munich – The Edge of War is a 2021 film from Netflix.
The dramatic film has a thriller aspect. Set in the late 1930s, Europe is on the verge of war as Adolf Hitler begins making aggressive moves.
Paul von Hartmann (portrayed by Niewöhner) is a translator in Germany’s Foreign Office who is part of the resistance. Their current plot is an effort to get military generals to overthrow Hitler.
When he and his colleagues get a hold of stolen documents that they believe can convince foreign governments to intervene and stop Hitler, von Hartmann reaches out to an old college friend, Hugh Legat, that works as a secretary for Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who is portrayed by Jeremy Irons.
British intelligence’s MI6 orders Legat to make a clandestine meeting with von Hartmann during a meeting in Munich between Chamberlain and Hitler. The stakes couldn’t be any higher.
In addition to Jannis Niewöhner, the film also features Liv Lisa Fries as a mutual friend of von Hartmann and Legat and August Diehl as an SS officer who is suspicious of von Hartmann.
Practice practice practice! Discover other great German language actors and actresses previously featured.
Top photo is courtesy of CastForward, by Mathias Bothor. This post contains affiliate links.
