Konklave

In the organizer's words:

Following the Oscar success of the novel adaptation "Nothing New in the West" (2022), German director Edward Berger is once again devoting himself to a novel adaptation. "Conclave" was written by Robert Harris and was released in 2013. Berger uses the election of a new pope, which is depicted in the novel, as the basis for a suspenseful production reminiscent of the conspiracy and paranoia cinema of the 1970s. The Pope is dying, the cardinals gather around his deathbed. They include the cardinal dean Jacopo Lomeli, Joshua Adeyemi, Joseph Tremblay and Aldo Bellini. When the Pope finally dies, a new election is due. The cardinals who had traveled to the city initially gathered in the Domus Sanctae Marthae and were joined late in the evening by Cardinal Benitez, who had been appointed in pectore - i.e. without public announcement - shortly before the Pope's death. The election finally begins in the Sistine Chapel and turns into a power struggle among those present. The nun Agnes plays a decisive role, but a secret of the deceased pope could cause major problems. It is up to Lomeli to conduct the election safely and cleanly - and at the same time reveal the pope's last secret. "The movie unfolds when it gives itself over completely to pulp, consistently subverting expectations of another Oscar vehicle after 'Nothing New in the West'. The Vatican and political thrillers like 'Conclave' rarely provide such thieving pleasure" (filmstarts.de).