Was haben wir gelacht (2026)
Director: Eva Müller
Cast: Hella von Sinnen, Esther Schweins, Maren Kroymann, Gaby Köster, Bettina Böttinger
Did you know? In the film, Maren Kroymann reveals she was once told by a TV executive that female comedians were “not funny enough for prime time,” despite her later winning the German Comedy Award for lifetime achievement.
Why Watch: Tired of the same old comedy history that sidelines women? *Was haben wir gelacht* delivers a hilarious and eye-opening reckoning with German TV's sexist past, as iconic comedians like Maren Kroymann and Hella von Sinnen finally get the last laugh. It's an essential, empowering watch for anyone who wants to understand how far comedy has come—and how much further it still needs to go.
A generation of Germans grew up watching male comedians dominate the screen. But where were the women who made them laugh? In this bold retrospective, comedy icons Maren Kroymann, Hella von Sinnen, Bettina Böttinger, Esther Schweins, and Gaby Köster revisit the 1990s and early 2000s—an era when TV jokes routinely punched down at women, and female performers had to fight for their place in the spotlight.