What comes to mind when I say Germany? Getting completely hammered at Oktoberfest, in a lederhosen-wearing, flagon-of-beer-drinking fashion? Or ‘don’t mention the war’ a la Fawlty Towers? One thing that probably won’t be mentioned is German cinema.

I, on the other hand, hadn’t actually even watched many films that people would argue are “a must-see” like The Matrix, Goodfellas or Jurassic Park. So I set myself a kind of mission: to catch up with, seemingly everybody else, and know all these films.

As a film enthusiast and ex-film studies student, I’ve always found it interesting the way films are intrinsically linked with a person’s identity. A person’s favourite film is not only a deeply personal choice but also speaks to a person’s identity.

My dad was a huge influence in how my passion for films has grown; ask him any question about any film from the decades and even if he hasn’t seen it, he’ll most likely know who’s in it, the year it was out and who directed it.