We are delighted to introduce the feature film BILLIE, opening in German cinemas on 17 September 2026, with Beatrace Oola as Head of Costume Design.
A significant moment for German cinema unfolds on screen: BILLIE places two actresses of African heritage at the heart of a German feature film and brings together a distinctive visual language shaped by diverse cultural perspectives. Behind the camera, numerous Black creatives hold key positions – including the costume department – contributing not only to who is represented, but to who helps shape the visual language of the film.
At the centre of BILLIE are two Black friends whose everyday lives are suddenly thrown into chaos. After getting stuck in a bank over €300, they unexpectedly find themselves mistaken for bank robbers. What begins as an absurd situation unfolds into a story about friendship, solidarity and self-determination – told with humour, warmth and a good dose of chaos.
But BILLIE tells another story through its images: the story of what happens when cultural perspectives are not treated as something that needs to be explained or translated, but become part of the creative process itself.
African Fashion, contemporary design, vintage, Afropunk and material innovation.
African Fashion is contemporary fashion – diverse, artisenal, spiritual, innovative and constantly evolving, shaped by designers across the African continent and throughout the diaspora.
Its visual languages encompass distinctive silhouettes, tailoring, street culture, high end, craftsmanship, subculture, material innovation and avant-garde approaches to design. It is created in many places at once – in Lagos, Kampala, Accra and Johannesburg, as well as Paris, London, Berlin and Hamburg – and wherever African and Afrodiasporic designers develop their own references, aesthetics and codes.
Not simply as a counter-narrative to Western fashion, but as an integral part of contemporary fashion and its evolving history.
This perspective also informed the costume design for BILLIE. Several pieces were created specifically for the film, including a bag and cuffs made from banana fibre, by Paul Kadjo. Other garments were custom-made and draw on textile traditions – including details reminiscent of the aesthetics of Nigerian Swiss lace.
“Outstanding performances, particularly by Commey and Jacobs, make the film a cinematic event.”
– DIE WELT
BILLIE
German theatrical release: 17 September 2026
Germany 2025 | 108 min.
Directed by Sheri Hagen
The film premiered at Filmfest Hamburg in 2025, was subsequently screened at, among others, the Max Ophüls Preis, and was awarded Best Feature Film at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival in 2026
Hamburg – Opening Screenings
17 September 2026, 8:00 pm – Zeise Kino
21 September 2026, 6:30 pm – 3001 Kino
Berlin – Opening Screenings
17 September 2026, 6:00 pm – Lichtblick Kino
23 September 2026, 8:00 pm – Delphi Lux
Cast
Ruby Commey
Thelma Buabeng
Timo Jacobs
Sannrae Rehnström
Joy Ewulu
Patrick Abozen
Anne Schäfer
Credits
Production: Equality Film
Director: Sheri Hagen
Cinematography: Cal Ola
German Distributor: Apollo Film
Sales & Distribution: Barnsteiner Film
Costume Department
Head of Costume Design: Beatrace Oola
Costume Assistant: Paul Kadjo
Tailor / Designer: Tabitha Minott
Wardrobe & Temporary Assistant: Mirjana Ikuye
Costume Design Intern: Mardjane Moussa
Fotocredit: Hardy Brackmann
Read more on Fashion Africa Now.