The Frog and the Water

Local title
Konn ja vesi
Original title
Der Frosch und das Wasser
Director
Thomas Stuber
Country
Year
2025
Festival
29th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Genre
Subject

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

Director
Thomas Stuber
Screenwriter
Gotthart Kuppel, Thomas Stuber, Hyoe Yamamoto
Cast
Aladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda, Bettina Stucky, Meltem Kaptan, Yuki Iwamoto, Cornelius Schwalm
Producer
Christoph Friedel, Claudia Steffen, Fee Buck
Co-producer
Christof Neracher, Magdalena Welter, Annegret Weitkämper-Krug
Cinematographer
Filip Zumbrunn
Production Design
Jenny Roesler
Editing
Kaya Inan
Production
Pandora Film Produktion
Co production
Hugofilm Features, Lomotion, Gretchenfilm
World sales
The Match Factory
Distribution
Lena Kettner
Runtime
Subtitles
Director
Thomas Stuber

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

Screenings

1st Lux Hall Apollo Kino Plaza
Screening130121 / Konn ja vesi
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsThomas Stuber (Director, Screenwriter), Fee Buck (Producer), Aladdin Detlefsen (Cast)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
1st Saku hall Apollo Kino Solaris
Screening151118 / Konn ja vesi
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Screening163014 / Konn ja vesi
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Trailer