Adolescent outcasts, identity and violence take center stage in Oasis (Oase), the much-anticipated debut feature of German writer-director Jannis Lenz, which will world premiere on Sept. 6 in the Horizons section of the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival.

This one will be very different from that other Oasis movie at Venice, Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, a concert documentary about the reunion tour of the famous band that brought Liam and Noel Gallagher back together.

If you don’t believe me, just read this synopsis for Oasis. “When a viral video of a student threatening his classmates surfaces online, the school spirals into escalating violence,” it notes. “Crushed by the pressure of teachers and parents, three outcasts take refuge in a nearby forest. There, play hardens into ritual, and pain becomes an escape, until old wounds surface and the boundaries between them are redrawn.”

The cinematic drama is an exploration of violence, body and identity – themes that Lenz has also touched on in his previous work.

The cast stars up-and-coming German actors Florian Geißelmann (Sound of Falling, Home Stories), Anton Petzold (Home Stories, Ouija) and Mathilda Smidt (Almania, Chabos), as well as veteran Godehard Giese (Rose, Transit, Babylon Berlin). Britta Hammelstein (Murder Mindfully, Woman of the Dead, The Sparrow in the Chimney) and Ioana Iacob (Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World) also feature in the cast.

Lenz directed Oasis based on a screenplay that he wrote with Alexander Dirninger, who also served as
director of photography. The editors are Lenz and Melisa Krasniqi.

“Body, space, and identity dissolve into one another, revealing the fragile beauty and quiet brutality of human relationships, while echoing the violence that shapes our contemporary world,” tease the press notes for Oasis.

Check out the poster for the film, which THR can exclusively debut, right here.

Lenz has previously turned heads with such shorts as Wannabe (2017), which got nominated for the European Film Award, and Soldat Ahmet (2021), which won several awards after its world premiere at the Visions du Réel festival in Switzerland.

Oasis is produced by Germany’s Zeitgeist Filmproduktion and co-produced by Austria’s Wega Film and Germany’s Third Picture in collaboration with We Fade to Grey, Ocean Pictures Filmproduktion and Totem Films. The German theatrical release is planned for February 2027 via Mindjazz Pictures. Totem is handling international sales on the German-Austrian co-production.

THR can now also exclusively premiere a trailer for the movie. School scenes, one pupil getting questioned about his threat of violence against schoolmates, and images of the protagonists in the forest create unsettling atmosphere. Oh yeah, there are also disturbing drawings. All in all, the audiovisual atmosphere teased here feels unnerving.

But check out the trailer for Oasis yourself right here.

Actor-director Kenneth Branagh arrived in Edinburgh to accept the festival’s inaugural Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award from festival director Paul Ridd and immediately joked that he would break it up into little pieces. “Actually, I wouldn’t,” he told the audience, “but if I did, I would give to you, and I’m not just being sappy. Certainly, the reason why I’m standing here is that because over the last number of years, so many of you have been kind enough to support the films that we do and that are celebrated here at the festival. It just wouldn’t be possible to be working in this industry without appreciative audiences who take a risk and who spend their cash and invest their time.”

Speaking to The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, Branagh discussed his 40-year career in movies both as an actor and director, having screened his 1989 debut Henry V. The event began, however, with an entertaining sample of his upcoming Apple film Mayday, an ‘80s-set action film in which he plays a disillusioned KGB agent who teams up with a US Navy pilot (Ryan Reynolds) who is stranded behind enemy lines.

Branagh was full of praise for writer-directors, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. “You may know their work from Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons,” he said, “both films of deceptive ease. Really entertaining, popular movies that are very cannily done. They had planned all the action and the style sequences, so the invitation was for me to step up and enact their imagination. They’re both excellent directors, but I find it terrific to be directed by two directors. They can gang up on you in a really good way, in a helpful way.

“I read the script in one sitting,” he recalled. “I was in an airport, during a long delay in coming back home. And I remember thinking, ‘This knows exactly what it’s meant to be. It’s grasp of the period and its sheer desire to entertain — but with a lot of very skillful touches — is great. Why the hell are they asking me to be in?’ I thought Zach Galifianakis should play the part actually, but I was very pleased they asked me.”

Since the part he’s playing is Russian, Bradshaw asked if he would consider playing Vladimir Putin. “It depends on the writing,” said Branagh. “But it also depends on whether you feel that somehow, you can serve [the role] appropriately. But there’s no question that such characters, for all the reasons we’re all too familiar with, are riveting. I guess it’s pretty important to analyze, investigate and understand how and why, in as much as we can draw inferences from what little we know of the inner lives and inner machinations of such regimes, how these people operate. He’s a figure that dominates our experience in many ways, along with a number of other key figures. So just like Shakespeare wrote about all those people in control of the power in our lives, he’s a creature that fascinates us, and from whom we might learn something in the investigation.”

Branagh went on to say that his next project was a little more traditional, given his theatrical background, being a documentary about the history of British theater in the 20th century. “It’s directed by a young British actor, Freddie Fox,” he said. “You may know him from numerous pieces of work and movies, but most recently Slow Horses. He has incredible access to a number of significant people across that period. He particularly focuses on what made the impact of the theater, socially, and the change that it spoke about — whether it was to do with LGBTQ rights or the political situation in Northern Ireland, et cetera — but it also contains a really keen interest in performance.”

EXCLUSIVE: Babita Singh Reporting, Prime Video‘s next pic out of India, will launch globally on August 28.

Directed by Ambiecka Pandit and written by Amita Vyas, the investigative drama features stars Nimisha Sajayan, Barun Sobti, and Anshumaan Pushkar. Saurabh Malhotra, Manuj Mittra, and Tina Tharwani are producing through Film Squad Productions in association with Act Three. Sudip Sharma is the exec producer.

Set in a small Indian town, Babita Singh Reporting follows suspended police officer Babita, known as Baby (Sajayan), a people-pleasing cop who has spent much of her life putting others first. Devastated by the murder of a childhood friend, she sets out to uncover the truth, embarking on an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

Prime Video says that, “Against the backdrop of a murder investigation, the investigative drama brings together grounded realism, layered characters, and complex family dynamics, offering a raw and authentic portrait of a woman confronting the choices that have shaped her life.”

“At Prime Video, we are always looking to champion stories that are distinctive, authentic, and emotionally engaging, and Babita Singh Reporting is a strong testament to that vision,” said Nikhil Madhok, Director & Head of Originals at Prime Video India.

“The film is, at its core, a deeply human story about the search for truth and a woman reclaiming her voice while navigating grief, relationships, and life. It brings together a talented creative team, with Ambiecka Pandit’s assured direction, Amita Vyas’s nuanced writing, and Sudip Sharma’s creative vision as executive producer, alongside a powerful ensemble led by Nimisha Sajayan, whose portrayal of Baby brings remarkable depth and authenticity to the character.”

Exec producer Sharma is no stranger to Prime Video, having produced two seasons of acclaimed crime drama Paatal Lok.

“The movie unfolds around a crime, but at its heart, it is also about the personal journey of a woman who has always adjusted, sought validation from others, and stayed in the background of her own life,” added Sharma. Nimisha Sajayan brings her to life with incredible sensitivity and strength, while Barun Sobti and Anshumaan Pushkar add wonderful depth and texture to the world around her.

“Having collaborated with Prime Video through two seasons of Paatal Lok, it felt natural to bring this story to a service that has consistently championed distinctive voices and created a home for storytellers and talent. Prime Video has given us the creative freedom, support, and reach to bring this story to audiences exactly as we envisioned.”