2026 campaign trailer FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS - THE FILMMAKERS

In 2016, German Films launched a campaign promoting a new wave of German cinema achievements to international audiences and to showcase exceptional German talent worldwide.

The initiative FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS  shines a spotlight on some of the most influential German talents currently working in the industry, who represent just some of the many dynamic 'faces' of German filmmaking today.

Since its first edition, the annual campaign has established itself as a flagship platform to give international visibility to German film talent and draw the attention of the global film industry to a number of the country's most sensational newcomers and professionals.

For the first time, in 2021, German Films decided to also include other film crafts apart from actors, directors and screenwriters as a way of recognising those talents who are doing outstanding work behind the camera. In its complex production process, film is – more than any other art form – particularly reliant on the collaboration of creative minds with diverse skills and backgrounds. Since then, the campaign presented a greater range and  diversity of German filmmaking than ever before.

This year in our 11th edition, German Films focuses on a variety of professions again.

Our new faces of the 2026 FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS - THE FILMMAKERS campaign are:

  • Joscha Bongard (BABYSTAR, PORNFLUENCER) - writer-director
  • Enzo Brumm (SILENT FRIEND) - actor 
  • Lydia Geißler (KARLA, STELLA. A LIFE) - makeup artist
  • Lotta Kilian (PROSECUTION, LUISE) - director of photography
  • Bayan Layla (ELAHA) - actor
  • Anna Roller (ALLEGRO PASTELL, DEAD GIRLS DANCING) - writer-director
  • Isa Willinger (NO MERCY, PLASTIC FANTASTIC) - director

The FACES 2026 are united by their passion for the medium and their desire to help shape the German film industry. They stand for the excellent reputation that German film and series productions enjoy internationally, and they are eager to present their work at festivals around the world. They have already left a lasting mark on the German film industry with their creativity, skill, professionalism, and love and enthusiasm for filmmaking.

The first year of the campaign was launched during the BFI London Film Festival in October 2016 and featured the following actresses:

Paula Beer, Liv Lisa Fries, Sandra Hüller, Julia Jentsch, Saskia Rosendahl, and Lilith Stangenberg. 

The campaign kicked off its second year in May 2017 during the Festival de Cannes with the support of six of Germany's most exciting male actors:

Volker Bruch, Alexander Fehling, Louis Hofmann, Jannis Niewöhner, Tom Schilling and Ronald Zehrfeld. 

The 2018 edition presented six of Germany's most prominent directors during a panel event at the 2018 Berlinale: 

Emily Atef, Valeska Grisebach, Lars Kraume, Anca Miruna Lazarescu, Burhan Qurbani and David Wnendt.

The 2019 edition of the campaign was presented at the Drama Series Days during the Berlinale 2019 with six great acting talents:

Maria Dragus, Christian Friedel, Luise Heyer, Jonas Nay, Jördis Triebel and Fahri Yardim.

The 2020 campaign did shine a spotlight on the very people who create the story, the writers:

Jana Burbach, Katharina Eyssen, Hanno Hackfort, Bernd Lange, Rafael Parente and Laila Stieler.

The 2021 campaign did feature a variety of filmmakers of various professions for the first time:

Composer Freya Arde, costume designer Ulé Barcelos, director Sarah Blaßkiewitz, actor Tua El-Fawwal, director Annekatrin Hendel, actor Lorna Ishema, storyboard artist Laila Petersen-Jama, as well as cinematographer Jieun Yi.

In 2022, filmmakers from all different fields of work were featured again:

writer-director Sarah Noa Bozenhardt, actor, prodcucer and writer Sara Fazilat, actor & director Jerry Hoffmann, film editor Julia Kovalenko, writer-director Matthias Luthardt, DOP Zamarin Wahdat and actor Anne Zander.

Our faces of 2023 were filmmakers of various fields:

writer Sönke Andresen, actor Welket Bungué, composer Dascha Dauenhauer, director, actor & writer Alison Kuhn, writer-director Reza Memari, director, actor & writer Lukas Nathrath and actor Lena Urzendowsky.

The talent group of 2024 included these ambassadors:

actors Jan Bülow and Banafshe Hourmazdi, writer-director-producer Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay, writer-directors Moritz Müller-Preißer, Eva Trobisch and Soleen Yusef, as well as production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach.

In our 10th anniversary year 2025, these filmmakers were part of the group:

actors Aaron Altaras, Thea Ehre and Lea Drinda, writer-directors Leonie Krippendorff and Mariko Minoguchi, director Mala Reinhardt, as well as DOP Tim Kuhn.