Culture coverage on film, music, literature, media and events in Germany, Europe and Ukraine.
The 33-year-old writer Édouard Louis became world-famous with his debut about a childhood marked by poverty and violence. In an interview with Zeit, he speaks about the painful liberation from a family that rejected everything he was.
A Paris court has sentenced six Georgians for stealing rare editions of Russian classics, as Euronews reports. The sentences range from 18 months suspended to seven years.
Sony is discontinuing streaming support on 71 older audio and video devices. Affected services include Netflix, Prime Video and Spotify, as reported by Digitalfernsehen.
Jennifer Lopez performed at a concert in France wearing an outfit by Ukrainian label TTSWTRS, known for avant-garde and sustainable fashion.
In 1794, a novel took the United States by storm: 'Charlotte Temple' by Susanna Rowson. The book became America's first bestseller and shaped an entire literary genre.
Olivia Rodrigo has released her third album. The record was originally meant to showcase the lighter side of love, but a review from Die Zeit is mixed: not entirely successful in that regard, but good overall.
British pop star Jessie J performed on the Chinese TV show "Singer" a week after declaring she was cancer-free, signaling renewed opportunities for Western artists in China's lucrative music market.
Rising costs and tight budgets are forcing several theaters in Brandenburg to increase ticket prices for the 2026/2027 season, as reported by Tagesspiegel.
Madonna has released a new, nearly 14-minute music video. As reported by the FAZ, the explicit clip 'Confessions II' is causing considerable excitement.
The Tagesspiegel has relieved its former editor-in-chief Stephan-Andreas Casdorff of his duties as editor-at-large after he wrote opinion pieces using artificial intelligence without labeling them. The newspaper announced this on Thursday.
A free performance by rapper Ski Aggu on a supermarket parking lot on Sonnenallee in Berlin-Neukölln drew large crowds on Monday evening. Police reported greater interest than registered, according to Tagesspiegel.
Taylor Swift has taken the top spot on the official German singles chart with her song "I Knew It, I Knew You," pushing Helene Fischer to number two, according to Entertainment.
TV host Günther Jauch has been awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Brandenburg for his commitment to restoring historic buildings in Potsdam.
Farzane Vaziritabar has been awarded the 'Hannes Malte Mahler – it is art' prize. The award ceremony takes place at the Sprengel Museum in Hanover.
The Munich band Sportfreunde Stiller has released their comeback album 'Happy Birthday', as reported by Abendzeitung München. The album with ten new songs is available now.
A Sturmgeschütz IIIG from World War II has been discovered during construction work on a Bundeswehr airbase in Nordholz near Cuxhaven. Ralf Raths, director of the German Tank Museum Munster, provides context for the find.
Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo has released her new album, sparking a discussion about her style. Her babydoll dress and girlish aesthetic are being critically examined.
Clemens Pig has been elected as the new director general of ORF. The decision by the foundation board came after a 15-hour marathon session, the broadcaster announced.
Taylor Swift, 36, is set to become the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, according to Euronews. The honor comes shortly after she attended the NBA Finals.
The Mecklenburg State Theatre in Schwerin has announced its program for the upcoming season, featuring 32 premieres.
Singer Ariana Grande has demanded the Trump administration stop using her song 'Bye' in political videos, after the White House posted a TikTok clip showing migrant arrests set to the track.
The German Children's Charity (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk) has called on the federal government to financially support the development of child-friendly digital games. The organization emphasized that digital games should be recognized as a legitimate part of children's and youth culture and should no longer be dismissed as a low-value hobby.
Steven Spielberg returns to his roots with 'Disclosure Day': The film tells of aliens who want to save humanity from nuclear war through empathy. Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor star in a work that feels like a successful déjà-vu.
The exhibition 'Leonardo da Vinci: Genius of the Renaissance' has opened in Astana, featuring over 40 models reconstructed from his original drawings, as reported by Euronews.
The Festival kicks off with 120 concerts, featuring performances by Rolando Villazón, Hilary Hahn and Wollny. The Armida Quartet opens the festival on Saturday at the Neubrandenburg Concert Church, as reported by NDR.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has awarded the Leo Baeck Prize to comedian Dieter Nuhr. The ceremony was attended by President Josef Schuster and Vice President Abraham Lehrer.
Deezer has released a free tool that checks music playlists from Spotify and Apple Music for AI-generated songs.
From July 29, 2026, the Museum Europäischer Kulturen in Berlin presents 'The Mountains of Tyrol', featuring historical postcards, hiking sticks, and photographs from its own collection. The exhibition runs until April 25, 2027.
The Japanese stage production 'Amaterasu' was performed at Brussels City Hall to mark 160 years of diplomatic ties between Belgium and Japan, as reported by Euronews.
The Bavarian State Opera has surprisingly appointed Czech conductor Petr Popelka as its new General Music Director starting in the 2029/30 season, succeeding Vladimir Jurowski.
The Hurricane Festival 2026 in Scheeßel, Lower Saxony, will take place from June 19 to 21. Twenty One Pilots, Billy Talent and Halsey have been confirmed as headliners, according to NDR.
Rapper Ikkimel has criticized the Catholic Church and discussed her shift from an apolitical stance to supporting the Left in the podcast 'Heidi trifft...' hosted by Left Party politician Heidi Reichinnek, as reported by 'Welt'.
The last 007 adventure with Daniel Craig was released five years ago, and now the makers of the Hitman games are developing a new James Bond game.
Festival 2026 will present a hit parade of Johann Bach's works. According to Deutsche Welle, over 7,000 fans from 20 countries voted on the program.
Pop icon Madonna gave a surprise concert in New York on June 4. According to Spiegel, the performance marks her return to the stage.
Actor Idris Elba has spoken out about the persistent rumors that he might be cast as the next James Bond, warning against making the role 'woke,' as reported by FAZ.
Konstantin Richter has been awarded the German Non-Fiction Prize 2026 for his book 'Three Hundred Men', as reported by FAZ.
Schlager star Freddy Quinn (94) is not dead, contrary to false claims. According to Bild newspaper, the entertainer is outraged by the hoax and is considering legal action.
The musical “Schmigadoon!” won multiple prizes at the Tony Awards, while “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe once again left the prestigious US theater gala without a win.
Two theater festivals are starting in Bavaria, as reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In Wasserburg, productions from Bavarian private theaters will be showcased over ten days, while in Oberammergau, the open-air season begins with 'TYLL,' based on Daniel Kehlmann's novel.