The 2019 German Film Festival showcases the best new German cinema across all genres with a curated selection of 31 films.

Presented by Palace in collaboration with German Films, the program will screen across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide from May 21.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2019, a special program strand Tear Down The Walls will feature screenings of Adam & Evelyn, Gundermann and Sealed Lips.

And the opening night feature Ballon (a box office hit in Germany) is based on true events, from 1961 to 1988: 75,000 East Germans were jailed for trying to escape to the west.

This is Michael "Bully" Herbigs' spectacular and thrilling true story of two ordinary families' extraordinary escape from East to West Germany in a homemade hot air balloon.

Ballon screens on opening night as well as other dates for general admits.

The Centrepiece selection, The Captain (Der Hauptmann) by Hollywood director Robert Schwentke (RED 2010, The Time Traveler's Wife 2009), is a black and white anti-war film, based on the true story of deserter Willi Herold, which sees darkly evocative and brutally stark German cinema at its best.

A special presentation screening of Bauhaus Spirit: 100 Years of Bauhaus (Vom Bauen der Zukunft - 100 Jahre Bauhaus) will celebrate the anniversary of a design legend.

Co-presented by the Goethe-Institut, the documentary portrays the fascinating history of Walter Gropius' Bauhaus, one of our century's most influential architectural schools that still shapes our society today.

Full details on all screenings can be found on the festival website germanfilmfestival.com.au.

See the festival trailer here.

The German Film Festival 2019 will take place nationally from May 21 - June 12, in the following cities:

Sydney: May 21 - June 9, Palace Norton St and Chauvel Cinema

Canberra: May 22 - June 9, Palace Electric

Melbourne: May 23 - June 9, Palace Cinema Como, The Kino Cinemas, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, The Astor Theatre

Perth: May 28 - June 12, Palace Cinema Paradiso, Palace Raine Square

Adelaide: May 29 - June 12, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas

Brisbane: May 30 - June 12, Palace James St, Palace Barracks

Byron Bay: May 29 - June 12, Palace Byron Bay