| From May 12 to 23, 2026, the Croisette once again became the hub for cinephiles and filmmakers as the 79th Cannes International Film Festival took place. From a German perspective, numerous films were represented. Films with German involvement screened both in Competition and across the festival’s other sections, attracting considerable attention. In Competition, THE DREAMED ADVENTURE by Valeska Grisebach screened alongside the minority German co-productions FATHERLAND by Pawel Pawlikowski ALL OF A SUDDEN, by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, GENTLE MONSTER by Marie Kreutzer, and MINOTAUR by Andrey Zvyagintsev. In Cannes Première, Volker Schlöndorff presented VISITATION. The Un Certain Regard section featured I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina Rivilis, ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, and EVERYTIME by Sandra Wollner. The Quinzaine des Cinéastes screened the short film DAUGHTERS OF THE LATE COLONEL by Elizabeth Hobbs, while Semaine de la Critique included Berthold Wahjudi’s short film "VATERLAND" OR A BULE NAMED YANTO. The German productions and co-productions were not only celebrated by critics and audiences. Several German films also returned home with awards: In the competition section, the Jury Prize went to Valeska Grisebach’s THE DREAMED ADVENTURE, the Grand Prix went to MINOTAUR by Andrey Zvyagintsev and the Prize for Best Director went to FATHERLAND and director by Pawel Pawlikowski. In the Un Certain Regard category two of the five awards went to German co-productions: Prix Un Certain Regard for EVERYTIME by Sandra Wollner and the Special Jury Prize for ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah. In the La Semaine de la Critique section “VATERLAND” OR A BULE NAMED YANTO (“VATERLAND” OR A BULE NAMED YANTO) by Berthold Wahjudi won the CANAL+ Award for Short Film. GROWING STONES, FLYING PAPERS by Roozbeh Gezerseh, Soraya Shamsi, screened in the La Cinef section, was awarded with the Third Prize (ex aequo). From German Films’ perspective, this year’s Cannes Film Festival was an outstanding success. The German Pavilion, organized by German Films in cooperation with Focus Germany, once again served as a key meeting place for filmmakers and industry professionals from Germany and around the world. The two Happy Hours, held on Thursday and Sunday evening, attracted such large crowds that short queues formed at the entrance. German Films also hosted a series of additional events dedicated to the documentary sector, alongside a special Animation Day featuring a cocktail reception. The Next Generation Short Tiger screening on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, was very popular and again completely booked. Many of the directors and several cast and crew members attended this international market premiere of the program. In cooperation with the German Short Film Association - AG Kurzfilm and the festival’s short film initiative SFC | Rendez-vous Industry, German Films offered the talents a four-day program of networking opportunities and coaching sessions. After the screening, the filmmakers celebrated together with more than 500 guests at the traditional and very popular beach party. More info about the films and directors of this year's Next Generation Short Tiger program is available here. The films are also available for registered users on the platforms T-Port and Festivalscope Pro. Together with the German Short Film Association, a selection of films from the Short Film Catalogue’s spring update was available at the Short Film Corner’s viewing library. An excerpt of the short film ULTRAVIOLET DAMAGE by Pola Rader was presented in the Short Film Corner’s “Would You Buy This?” panel, the film will have its world premiere at the upcoming Sydney Film Festival. Members of the international short film industry mingled with German talents at the traditional “Short Film Lounge” which was organized in cooperation with ARTE. | |
| The 45th Istanbul Film Festival took place from April 9-19, 2026. Maintaining its internationally focused programme structure, the festival featured three competitive sections: Golden Tulip, New Visions and Short Film competitions. A total of 127 feature films and 12 shorts were screened. The festival welcomed 55 international guests, hosted 116 crew-attended screenings, and drew more than 62,000 admissions. The Istanbul Film Festival remains Turkey’s largest and most established international film event in terms of programme scope and attendance. The opening film HOME STORIES was sold out. Director Eva Trobisch and actor Max Riemelt had come to Istanbul to present their film. After the screening, the audience had the opportunity to ask them questions. The German productions MY WIFE CRIES, ALLEGRO PASTELL (in the presence of director and FACE TO FACE ambassador Anna Roller), and BERLIN BLUES (screened in memory of Rosa von Praunheim) were also among the most-attended screenings. Actor and FACE TO FACE ambassador Enzo Brumm was also on site to present his film SILENT FRIEND. The annual lunch hosted by German Films in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Istanbul was again a successful networking event. The KINO2026: "German Films in Turkey" program, which features a selection of award-winning and critically acclaimed German films that have received accolades at international festivals, began in April as part of the 45th Istanbul Film Festival and continued from May 12 to 17 with screenings at Sinematek/Sinema Evi. | |
| Once again German Films is returning to the Cines Embajadores for this year's German Film Fest Madrid! From June 3-7, German cinema will be celebrated here in all its diversity and facets. The festival will open on June 3 with Thomas Stuber’s THE FROG AND THE WATER in presence of the director. We are also pleased to welcome FACE TO FACE ambassador Lydia Geissler in Madrid with KARLA. As every year, we will also be showing a number of outstanding short films from the NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER program. As a representative of the 2025 program, director Eva Pedroza will present her short film TAKO TSUBO to the Spanish audience. Once again, we have also teamed up with the Goethe Institute Madrid for the festival which will present a special focus dedicated to director Mia Maariel Meyer. See the full program:
THE FROG AND THE WATER by Thomas Stuber
CIRCUSBOY by Julia Lemke & Anna Koch
SIX WEEKS ON by Jacqueline Jansen
NO MERCY by Isa Willinger
THE SEED by Mia Maariel Meyer
BABYSTAR by Joscha Bongard
TREPPE AUFWÄRTS by Mia Maariel Meyer
KARLA by Christina Tournatzés
RAVE ON by Nikias Chryssos & Viktor Jakovlevski
NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2025 by various directors
PHANTOMS OF JULY by Julian Radlmaier
HOMESTORIES by Eva Trobisch The program will be complemented by three amazing short films by Elena Walf (DER STACHEL IM PO), Anh Tú Nguyen (THE SKY WAS CANDY) and Adrián Jaffé (FIRST FLIGHT), which will be shown together with selected feature-length films. The festival is organized in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Madrid and the Amigos del Goethe-Institut España, with support from the German Embassy in Madrid and FILMIN. | |
| The selection of the submissions for the competition for the OSCAR® in the category International Feature Film is in most cases organized by the respective national film institutions. In Germany, German Films is responsible for the preparation, organization and implementation of the selection procedures. In this function, German Films' responsibilities are strictly of organizational nature. German Films itself is not represented in the selection committee. As of the 99th Academy Awards season, there are now two ways to submit a film for consideration: In addition to a film being submitted as an official selection by a country or region via the Academy-approved Selection Committees, a non-English language film can now be submitted for consideration by winning a qualifying award at an international film festival as specified in the International Feature Film Award Qualifying Festival List. Qualifying festivals for the 99th Oscars® are the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear for Best Film), Busan International Film Festival (Busan Award - Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award) and Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion). Additionally, in the International Feature Film category, the film will be credited as the nominee rather than the country or region, and the award will be accepted by the director on behalf of the film’s creative team. The director’s name will be listed on the statuette plaque after the film title and, if applicable, the country or region. The selection of a German entry for the 99th Academy Awards® will take place on August 24th and August 25th, 2026 in Munich. The list of eligible films will be announced by mid-August 2026. Send the electronic registration to German Films by email, to Nicole Kaufmann, kaufmann@german-films.de. The registration deadline is Monday, July 27, 2026, 18:00 CET. Find an overview of the rules and regulations here, as well as more information from AMPAS here. | |
| The focus of the next session for the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on June 14th will be the LGBTQ+ drama GREAT FREEDOM by Sebastian Meise featuring German actor Franz Rogowski (HAPPY END, PASSAGES, UNDINE, TRANSIT, A HIDDEN LIFE ). The film was Austria’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards and made it to the shortlist. The touching drama was recognized at the 34th European Film Awards with two Excellence Awards: Best Cinematography and Best Original Score and the film received the Jury Prize in the CERTAIN REGARD section in Cannes 2021. Lead actor Franz Rogowski has been awarded numerous prizes worldwide for his acting performance. Our curator Jim Kolmar's comment on the movie: "Frank Rogowski delivers another extraordinary, complex performance in Sebastian Meise’s film GREAT FREEDOM. Meise's first film in 10 years, GREAT FREEDOM explores the legacy of Paragraph 175, the intensely restrictive legislation that criminalized homosexuality in Germany for over a century.
Rogowski plays Hans, a young gay man in post-war Germany whose defiance leads to his repeated incarceration over many years. Over time he develops a relationship with convicted murderer Viktor, laying bare the devastating impact of Paragraph 175 and the resilience of those who endured the worst of it. The film is gripping, moving, and reveals as much about our current freedoms as it does our ignorance of a past we’d rather leave behind. Don't miss this remarkable film!" RSVP here Date and time: Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 11:00am – 12:00pm PT, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET, 8:00pm – 9:00pm CET
Hosted by Jim Kolmar KINO! FILM SALON is a production by Telescope Film, in collaboration with the German Film Office Trailer here | |
| Episode 99 - June 18, 2026:
When make-up and special effects artist Lydia Geissler doesn’t dream about living under water, she considers her almost career choice of criminal investigator. We talk about her love for the movie Carol, the wonderful 1980-ies series Fantaghirò and the joy of a weekend breakfast with lots of time to savor it. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| May 12, 2026:
Prolific director Adolfo Kolmerer talks to us about his series Oderbruch, going all in with frequent collaborators Arend Remmers & Christian Alvart and why German filmmakers tend to approach genre wrong. We discuss the widely unloved second screen rule, exposition dialogue, plus a Shoutout to strong female leads (#Arrival) and the three projects he ‘d like to do.
June 23, 2026:
His co-writer and director of FATHERLAND, Pawel Pawlikowski, won the Best Director award in Cannes and now their film opens the Munich Film Festival. We talk to writer Henk Handloegten how FATHERLAND about the writing process, the influence of Edgar Reitz’ HEIMAT on his choice of career, the responsibility of a writer and we speculate how AI might change the business. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. DEEP DIVE GENRE on Instagram! | |
| Calls for submission: - DocsConnect 2026/2027 | Conscious Filmmaking Training: This call is for filmmakers and creators, with or without a project, who are looking for guidance, support and a professional environment that prioritises both creativity and well-being. This three-module programme provides participants with the skills to tell bold, impactful stories across borders, while fostering sustainable leadership and conscious filmmaking practices. Applications on a rolling basis! Apply here. More information can be found here.
- Festival del Cinema Europeo: The 27th edition of the Festival del Cinema Europeo will take place in Lecce from November 7-14, 2026. Film submissions are now open for the “Golden Olive-Tree” Competition of European feature fiction films. Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2026. More information can be found here.
- Porto Industry Days 2026: Applications are now open for three Porto Industry Days 2026 activities: Industry Screenings (more information here), Co-Production Meetings (more information here) and Arché Porto (more information here). All applications are open until July 15, 2026. For the 2026 edition, the Open Calls for Industry Screenings and Co-Production Meetings expand their territorial scope and are open to projects produced in European territory. Porto Industry Days will take place from 23 to 26 November 23-26, 2026, as part of the 13th edition of Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival, which runs from 19 to 28 November 19-28, 2026 in Porto, Portugal.
New German Short Films – Spring Catalogue Update
30 new fiction, documentary, animation and experimental shorts produced since November 2025 have just been added to the AG Kurzfilm’s online short film catalogue. The new shorts, selected by a jury from suggestions made by members of the AG Kurzfilm (German Short Film Association), include films from the festival line-ups of Clermont-Ferrand, Berlin, and Rotterdam, among others. Those interested can search for German short films in the online catalogue using a wide range of functions, keywords, themes, categories. International film professionals can screen the films online after registering. More than 1,200 short films produced since 2004 are now available for viewing. The latest catalogue update is available here.
German Student Films Shortlisted for the Sony Future Filmmaker Award 2026
Two short films produced at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg were shortlisted for the 4th Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE by Oscar Jacobson was selected in the animation category, the fiction short ONCE IN A BLUE MOON by Frederik Bösing & Vera Kay competes in the student category. All shortlisted filmmakers are invited to a 4-day industry immersion program in Culver City, the winners will be announced on June 11, 2026. A total of 8,400 films from 162 countries were submitted for the awards in the categories fiction, non-fiction, animation and student. More info can be found here.
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| German productions and co-productions at Frameline, Raindance and Sydney. | |
| Awards for German productions and co-productions at Brussels, Seattle and Cannes. | |
| New section starting in 2026: Here you will find links to photo galleries of German Films receptions and other German Films events from this month. | |
| International releases of German films in June 2026 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: A GIRL NAMED WILLOW in Poland (Distributor: VIVARTO, World Sales: Sola Media, Theatrical Release: June 12, 2026, Grant: €8,000)
AMRUM in Brazil (Distributor: Imovision, World Sales: Beta Cinema, Theatrical Release: June 18, 2026, Grant: €9,500)
KÖLN 75 in Israel (Distributor: NACHSHON FILMS, World Sales: Bankside Films, Theatrical Release: June 18, 2026, Grant: €8,000)
MIROIRS NO.3 in Denmark (Distributor: Camera Film, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: June 11, 2026, Grant: €6,000)
MIROIRS NO.3 in Turkey (Distributor: Bir Film, World Sales: The Match Factory, Theatrical Release: June 5, 2026, Grant: €2,500)
RAVE ON in Estonia (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker, Theatrical Release: June 12, 2026, Grant: €1,500)
RAVE ON in Latvia (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker, Theatrical Release: June 5, 2026, Grant: €1,500)
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JOSEF MENGELE in Portugal (Distributor: PRIS Audiovisuals, World Sales: KINOLOGY, Theatrical Release: June 4, 2026, Grant: €1,500)
THE GOOD SISTER in Belgium, Luxembourg (Distributor: Cherry Pickers, World Sales: New Europe Film Sales, Theatrical Release: June 17, 2026, Grant: €4,000)
THE GOOD SISTER in France (Distributor: Memento Distribution, World Sales: New Europe Film Sales, Theatrical Release: June 15, 2026, Grant: €15,000)
THE SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 4 in Turkey (Distributor: Siyahbeyaz Movies, World Sales: Epsilon Film, Theatrical Release: June 26, 2026, Grant: €5,000)
THE SECRET FLOOR in Latvia (Distributor: Unlimited Media, World Sales: The Playmaker, Theatrical Release: June 5, 2026, Grant: €1,500)
TWO TO ONE in Spain (Distributor: A Contracorriente Films, World Sales: The Playmaker, Theatrical Release: June 12, 2026, Grant: €8,000)
Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time.
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| Contact:
Angela Sonntag (Head of Press & Public Relations) | |
| German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
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Fax +49-89-59 97 87-30 | |
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