DIE BÜRGERMEISTERIN

This smart and relentless small-town drama shows the brutal methods right-wing activists use to intimidate and threaten local politicians. Anna Schudt shines as the unsalaried major of a small town where a communal accommodation for refugees is planned. Within days she and her family find themselves in the crosshairs of right-wing online abuse and escalating real-life violent threats, while her formerly sleepy and idyllic constituency devolves into hidden fear and open hostility. This is an important and courageous film about a threat to German municipalities that was ignored for too long.