KINO favorites: 7 German movie stars you need to know

She is by no means a total stranger - Sandra Hüller is popular on German stages, and has enthralled the audience in numerous films. Germany's Oscar-nominated "Toni Erdmann" made her famous on the international scene, which is bound to result in even more role offers over the coming years.

This young man is not yet 20 but has already played in several films, and performed on TV. Two films featuring the Berlin Film Festival's German shooting star are currently showing in German cinemas. In 2015, he was spectacular in the role of a tormented boarding student in the drama "Sanctuary."

Liv Lisa Fries started out on the small screen but has since moved into the cinema. For three years, the Berlin actress convincingly portrayed Lea, a woman suffering from cystic fibrosis in "And I'll be dead tomorrow at noon," which won her the coveted Max Ophüls award. Audiences will next see her in Tom Tykwer's new series "Berlin Babylon," which airs in the fall.

Young Paula Beer's career has virtually skyrocketed. Director Chris Kraus discovered the 14-year-old in 2010, and gave her a leading role in the drama "Poll." Her portrayal of a young war widow made waves internationally in the Franco-German coproduction "Franz." The role garnered her an award for Best Newcomer at the 2016 Venice Film Festival.

German film buffs might not yet be aware of Antje Traue, but she already has quite a few roles under her belt, national as well as international. She played in the 2015 drama "Woman in Gold" and the 2013 superhero film "Man of Steel." Keep an eye out for her later this year in the German comedy "Es war einmal in Deutschland" (Once upon a time in Germany).

Jonas Nay played various roles in various television series before his breakthrough as a spy in the series "Deutschland 83." The German Cold War thriller won an International Emmy last year for best drama.

Granted, Peter Kurth - born in 1957 - is no youngster, but a successful theater actor, named Actor of the Year in 2014. Kurth has also played many - usually supporting - roles in German TV productions . He may be emerging from the sidelines, however: in 2016, he received the German Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a terminally ill ex-boxer.