With the summer spirit taking over Munich, the upcoming 39th edition of the film festival of the Bavarian capital (June 23-July 2) prepares to capture the ambiance of the city with its motto.

"Unleashed" is the title of the Munich Film Festival (Filmfest München), which will be screening 120 films from 52 countries, with 35 of the entries making their world premieres. And after the two years of pandemic when the city was silenced and subdued by the restrictions on social gatherings and public activities, unleashed is how it feels again to be in Munich these days.

Once again, the gardens are filled with locals and international visitors, buskers from around the globe are playing their music on street corners, visitors are exploring the historic English Garden, window-shopping the luxury shops along the elegant Maximilianstrasse or taking in the sun in some chic outdoor cafe.

Others are heading to the Isar River for a swim, a few brews and barbecues. In Munich's Olympic Stadium, the Rolling Stones just launched their latest European tour to a sellout audience of over 70,000 people.

And now, amid all the summertime excitement, the Munich Film Festival – Germany's second-most important one after the Berlinale but arguably the more relaxed and fun celebration of film – is getting ready to welcome film-lovers with a strong array of German and international productions.

"Finally, we’re once again able to celebrate the entire spectrum of filmmaking, from intricate experiments to surprising blockbusters, from political cinema to exceptional entertainment," commented festival artistic director Christoph Groener, alluding to the pared-down program of the previous two festivals during the pandemic. Last year's film festival featured just 70 films from 29 countries.

​Traditionally, the Munich Film Festival provides a first opportunity for fans to see some of the top movies from the most recent Cannes Film Festival. The festival opener will be the film "Corsage," a biopic drama about Austrian Empress Elisabeth, which created a sensation in Cannes. Among several other films from Cannes will be "Leila’s Brothers" by Iranian director Saeed Roustaee, "The Eight Mountains" directed by Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen and "Broker" by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

"We’re particularly delighted that the spectrum of filmmakers is becoming ever broader, both internationally and nationally," Groener added. He pointed to a new competition titled "CineRebels," a platform "for those who like to bend the rules, embark on cinematic adventures and appeal to cinephiles." The competition features 10 international films, including, among others, "The Penultimate" (directed by Jonas Kærup Hjort), "Quantum Cowboys" (Geoff Marslett), "Scarlet" (Pietro Marcello), "Giulia" (Ciro De Caro), and "Cook F**k kill" (Mira Fornay).

Women will be more strongly represented in this year's screenings, says festival director Diana Iljine, who this year marks her own 10th anniversary as festival director. The festival's special honors will be bestowed on Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and German director Doris Doerrie along with a screening of her latest film "The Pool," which examines the many forms of womanhood both with humor and an openness to dissent.

"Doris Doerrie is one of Germany’s great auteur filmmakers," Iljine commented. "She has always allowed herself the freedom to express herself artistically in her own particular way. The sensitive and passionate performances by Alba Rohrwacher, who has joined us in Munich several times, have also had a lasting impact on international cinema. I am proud to honor these two leaders in filmmaking by women."

In one of the main competitions, the 15,000 euro ($15,700) CineVision section for best newcomer director, 70% of the films were directed by women, while in the New German Cinema section, the figure is 60%.

With the relaxed and fun-filled ambiance of Munich in the summer, filmgoers might easily forget the war in Ukraine. But the Munich Film Festival will not forget and will screen a number of films by both Ukrainian and Russian filmmakers. In the Spotlight section, there will be the harrowing film "Mariupolis 2" by director Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was killed during the Russian invasion. After his death, his fiancee Hanna Bilobrova smuggled his footage out.

A further cautioning message against war and nationalism is a second Ukrainian production, "Butterfly Vision," in the CineVision section, directed by Maksym Nakonechnyi. It provides a grueling portrait of a woman returning from a war zone.

The festival will also present a number of current Russian films that take a stand against violence and authoritarianism. Among them will be "Tchaikovsky's Wife" by dissident Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, who will also be celebrating the German premiere of "Petrov’s Flu" in the new CineRebels section.