The Frog and the Water
A heartfelt road movie where two lonely human souls find each other.
Buschi’s daily routine in an assisted living facility leaves no room for surprises. Seeking change, he seizes the chance to leave a group outing behind and joins a tour of Japanese tourists traveling through Germany. Having lived his entire life without speaking, on this unusual trip, he forms a wordless friendship with Hideo — a man on a journey of his own — creating a bond that goes beyond words and starts an unexpected adventure.
The director of this film, inspired by Buddhist philosophy, Thomas Stuber (“In the Aisles”, 2018), is no stranger to the PÖFF audiences. His latest film offers the kind of warm humour that we can never have too much of in life.
Helmut Jänes
Thomas Stuber (1981) is a Leipzig-born German director and screenwriter. After graduating high school, he completed a number of different internships and assistantships in the film industry. Starting in 2002, he worked on several film and TV productions as a script/continuity supervisor and director's assistant. From 2004 to 2011, he studied stage direction at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg. During this time, he received several awards for his short film “Es geht uns gut” (“We're fine”, 2006) and for “Teenage Angst” (2008). His graduating film “Of Dogs and Horses” (2011) won the Student Oscar in Silver as well as the German Short Film Award. In 2015, together with Clemens Meyer, he received the German Screenplay Award for “In den Gängen” (“In the Aisles”).
Filmography:
Teenage Angst (2008), Herbert (PÖFF 2015), In den Gängen (Valss vahekäikudes, PÖFF 2018), Die stillen Trabanten (Dark Satellites, 2022), Spuk unterm Riesenrad (2024), Der Frosch und das Wasser (The Frog and the Water, 2025)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
