Balloon
One of the most daring escapes of the Cold War.
2018 | 125m | None
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Michael Herbig |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Thilo Röscheisen, Kit Hopkins, Michael Herbig |
| Staring: |
| Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 27, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Michael Herbig |
| Writer: | Thilo Röscheisen, Kit Hopkins, Michael Herbig |
| Genres: | History |
| Keywords | berlin wall, german democratic republic, stasi, border patrol, german-german border, hot air balloon, escape from german democratic republic , based on true story, east germany, escape plan |
| Production Companies | SevenPictures Film, StudioCanal, Sat.1, herbX film |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $11,859,396
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Dec 29, 2025 Entered: Dec 29, 2025 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Karoline Schuch | Doris Strelzyk |
| Friedrich Mücke | Peter Strelzyk |
| Alicia von Rittberg | Petra Wetzel |
| David Kross | Günter Wetzel |
| Jonas Holdenrieder | Frank Strelzyk |
| Tilman Döbler | Andreas 'Fitscher' Strelzyk |
| Thomas Kretschmann | Lieutenant Colonel Seidel |
| Ronald Kukulies | Erik Baumann |
| Emily Kusche | Klara Baumann |
| Ulrich Brandhoff | Lieutenant Colonel Tornow |
| Sebastian Hülk | Senior Sergeant Lesch |
| Kai Ivo Baulitz | Lieutenant Strehle |
| Bernd Michael Lade | Colonel Witzke |
| Christian Näthe | Captain Heym |
| Timur Bartels | Private Kenner |
| Bernd Stegemann | Werner Meissner (SED-District Leader) |
| Till Patz | Peterchen Wetzel |
| Ben Teichmann | Andreas Wetzel |
| Peter Prager | Günter's Stepfather |
| Antje Traue | Kindergarten Teacher (Ulrike Piehl) |
| Eli Wasserscheid | Beate Baumann |
| Peter Trabner | Pharmacist |
| Tilo Keiner | Duty Officer |
| Nadja Engel | Günter's Mother |
| Tom Kreß | West Police Officer |
| Thomas Birnstiel | West Police Officer |
| Cornelius Schwalm | Jörg Franke |
| Franziska Theiner | Consumer Woman |
| Tim Williams | American |
| Christian Gaul | Receptionist |
| Beate Kurecki | Textile Saleswoman |
| Sebastian Schwarz | Kuhn |
| Angelika Koppmann | Textile Saleswoman |
| Sandra Lava | Helga |
| Stefan Kaminsky | Party Comrade |
| Benjamin Jorns | People's Policeman in Pößneck |
| Thomas Chemnitz | Forensic Scientist |
| Jonas Laux | Pilot |
| Jörn Hentschel | Joachim Breninek (Flight Instructor) |
| Andrea Benson | US Embassy Employee |
| Geoffrey Rude | US Embassy Employee |
| Maja Milena Palzkill | Lena |
| Henri Stephan | Petra's Brother |
| Susanne Pfeiffer | Consumer Woman |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Thilo Röscheisen | Screenplay |
| Kit Hopkins | Screenplay |
| Lisy Christl | Costume Design |
| Christian Held | Production Manager |
| Daniela Tolkien | Casting |
| Michael Herbig | Director, Screenplay |
| Kerstin Grund | Set Decoration |
| Ralf Wengenmayr | Original Music Composer |
| Alexander Dittner | Editor |
| Ulrike Fauth | Line Producer |
| Marvin Miller | Music |
| Tatjana Krauskopf | Makeup Artist |
| Bernd Lepel | Production Design |
| Torsten Breuer | Director of Photography |
| Dirk Lange | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Friedemann Röse | Second Assistant "B" Camera |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Stefan Gärtner | Co-Producer |
| Michael Herbig | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 21 | 35 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 25 | 38 | 16 |
| 2024 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 13 |
| 2024 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 12 |
| 2024 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 11 | 19 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 15 | 28 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 17 | 39 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 11 | 17 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 695 | 763 |