With roles in The Baader Meinhof Complex, Elementarteilchen, and Das Adlon. Eine Familiensaga, a made for television mini-series about the famous hotel in Berlin and its founding family, you may already be familiar with German actor Tom Schilling. Although he’s only in his early thirties, Schilling has a remarkable number of titles to his name and his star seems to be rapidly rising. And he isn’t merely an actor. Schilling is also a talented musician who records music with his band Tom Schilling & The Jazz Kids.

In this month’s German language film feature, I’m highlighting some exciting and interesting films that Schilling has lead roles in — Tod den Hippies!! Es lebe der Punk!, Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter, and Oh Boy!.

Tod den Hippies!! Es lebe der Punk!

If you’re in Germany, you may want to save the date for March 26, 2015, and then go to the movies. Tod den Hippies!! Es lebe der Punk! is the new film from Oskar Roehler (who also directed films like Jew Suss: Rise and Fall, Elementarteilchen, and Quellen des Lebens) starring Schilling as a teen looking for adventure and excitement. Set in the legendary West Berlin of the 1980s, the film follows the underground scene of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Sorry, make that sex, drugs and punk. It’s a brash comedy that does not hold back.

Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter

While the BBC and HBO seem to have cornered the market on high-quality television mini-series, German broadcaster ZDF has produced Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter. Known as Generation War internationally, the three-part miniseries follows the lives of a group of 20-something German friends as they navigate through a world centered on World War II. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the film has been highly controversial in Germany for its depiction of Nazi-era Germany. It’s a serious and moving program that shows the war from multiple perspectives.

The series also stars Ludwig Trepte, Katharina Schüttler, Miriam Stein, and Volker Bruch as members of the group of friends.

Oh Boy! (A Coffee in Berlin)

Also known by its international title A Coffee in Berlin, Oh Boy! follows Schilling as he portrays Niko. After dropping out of university, Niko wanders the German capital city. He eventually finds himself while on a journey of self-discovery. Shot in black and white, Oh Boy! is an award-winning film that blends comedy and drama.

Practice practice practice! Discover other great German language actors and actresses previously featured.

Top photo by Siebbi. Photos for “Oh Boy!” and “Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter” courtesy of Music Box Films. This post contains affiliate links.