| The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Pimedate Ööde filmifestival, PÖFF) celebrated its 29th edition from November 7 to 23, 2025. 42 German productions and co-productions had been invited to participate in the festival lineup and industry event. The German premieres and screenings were enthusiastically received by the audience, and some of them even won awards. Director Hille Norden's drama EASY GIRL premiered at the festival as part of the First Feature Competition. The German production was awarded the Special Prize for Best Production Design. The Jury comment: "This film creates a world that is visually bold yet emotionally unguarded. Its production design captures the tension between teenage freedom and the spaces that confine it; the make-up and hair reveal the cracks beneath confidence; and the costumes trace a shift from playfulness to vulnerability. Together, they create a world that feels immediate, unsettling and profoundly true." Pascal Schuh's debut INTERIOR won the Audience Award in the First Feature Competition category. The film also set a special festival record, as 35 members of the cast and crew traveled to Tallinn for the festival, making it the largest delegation ever for a single film. A few days later Director Thomas Stuber's new film THE FROG AND THE WATER, a heartfelt road movie where two lonely human souls find each other, premiered in the Official Competition section. The German actor Aladdin Detlefsen and the Japanese actor Kanji Tsuda were both awarded the Best Actor prize for their roles in the drama. Jury comment: "We were mesmerized by the humanity of this film, and by the profound human understanding between the two main characters; by breaking the language barrier and in silence they danced throughout the story, slowly enriching their understanding of one another. Their performances are a reminder that inclusion and equality are the way of the world." The JUST film class jury award was given to the team of THANKS FOR NOTHING. The coming-of-age drama by Stella Marie Markert competed as an international premiere in the International Youth Competition. The jury - a class from Saku Gymnasium - wrote in their statement: "A film that approaches serious themes from a remarkably optimistic perspective. As you watch, it becomes clear how differently people of the same age, place, and even friend group can experience life. The cherry on top is its strong visual language and lively, engaging storytelling." German productions also received awards at PÖFF Shorts: Best Film (New Talents Animation) for PEAR GARDEN by Shadab Shayegan, Jury Mention (New Talents) for FLOATING by Jelena Milunović and WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR by Kiana Naghshineh was awarded PÖFF Candidate for Best European Short Film - Prix Vimeo at the European Film Awards 2027. The actors and actresses attending the Black Nights Stars 2025 received The Black Nights Film Festival and International Casting Directors Association Awards. Actor Samirah Breuer took part in the multifaceted exchange and networking program on behalf of Germany. Of course, German Films also invited guests to a reception again. The get-together was hosted by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Hessen Film & Medien and German Films at the atmospheric "Restoran PLATZ". | |
| FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS ambassador Mala Reinhardt was part of Festival dei Populi's International Feature Film Jury in Florence, Italy this November!
The jury of the International Documentary Feature Film Competition - composed of Cecilia Barrionuevo (Doclisboa), Spanish filmmaker Elena López Riera, and Mala - awarded the following prizes:
The First Prize went to the German production WITH HASAN IN GAZA by Kamal Aljafari that premiered at Toronto this year (Germany, Palestine, France, Qatar, 2025).
The Second Prize went to THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski (Peru, Portugal, 2025), and the ‘Gian Paolo Paoli’ Award for Best Anthropological Film to D IS FOR DISTANCE by Christopher Petit and Emma Matthews (Finland, 2025). Mala is now off to Asia to attend more festivals in Thailand, China and Cambodia as a FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS ambassador. More news coming soon! | |
| Writer-director and FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS ambassador Mariko Minoguchi embarked on a US and Canada tour for FACE TO FACE last month. Her journey began in Montreal, where DECEMBER - the first episode of the true-crime series ZEIT VERBRECHEN, which she directed last year - was presented at the Goethe Institute Montreal. She then traveled to New York to take part in the German Film Office’s #GermanMovieNight, featuring another screening of ZEIT VERBRECHEN, followed by a Q&A moderated by film journalist and true-crime enthusiast Beatrice Loayza. Mariko also used the opportunity to meet with local guests and members of an engaged audience in the Big Apple. The final stop on her North American tour was GERMAN CURRENTS, the 19th Festival of German Film in Los Angeles, where she attended the opening night, the traditional Filmmakers Brunch, and an additional screening of her episode of the ZEIT VERBRECHEN series. | |
| From November 7–15, German Films and Goethe Institute China, in partnership with Broadway Cinema and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Beijing, presented 12 outstanding current German productions at the 13th Festival of German Cinema in China. The line‑up featured recent titles that have had their premiere at major international festivals. German filmmakers joined digital live Q&A sessions to engage directly with the audience. The festival opened on 7 November with the screening of Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay's HYSTERIA at Broadway Cinematheque (MOMA), featuring a live online Q&A with lead actress Devrim Lingnau. Robin Mallick, Head of Institute at Goethe Institute China, German Films representative Anke Redl, and the local German ambassador opened the festival. Broadway Cinemas recorded a total attendance of 1,317, while the Goethe-Institut China recorded 966, bringing the combined attendance for both venues to 2,283 over 22 screenings. The Goethe Institute China also showed parts of the program in three other cities (Nanjing, November 12–25; Hangzhou, November 14–25; and Chengdu, November 15–25).
Full list of screened films:
Broadway-Kinos:
HYSTERIA by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay
THE MOELLN LETTERS by Martina Priessner
IN MY PARENT'S HOUSE by Tim Ellrich
KREATOR – HATE & HOPE by Cordula Kablitz-Post
PRIDE & ATTITUDE by Gerd Kroske
WHAT MARIELLE KNOWS by Frédéric Hambalek
CIRCUSBOY by Julia Lemke, Anna Koch Goethe-Institut Bejing:
CHAOS AND SILENCE by Anatol Schuster
THE LIGHT by Tom Tykwer
SAD JOKES by Fabian Stumm
RIEFENSTAHL von Andres Veiel
RED STARS UPON THE FIELD von Laura Laabs | |
| The European Film Academy has announced the nominations in various categories for the 38th European Film Awards. These three German films are in the running for awards in several categories: RIEFENSTAHL by Andres Veiel
European Documentary
European Film SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN) by Mascha Schilinski
European Film
European Director (Mascha Schilinski)
European Screenwriter (Mascha Schilinski & Louise Peter) WITH HASAN IN GAZA by Kamal Aljafari
European Documentary
European Film Further nominated films with German involvement: Leonie Benesch in LATE SHIFT (HELDIN) by Petra Volpe
European Actress Idan Weiss in FRANZ by Agnieszka Holland
European Actor SENTIMENTAL VALUE (NO/DE/DK/FR/SE) by Joachim Trier
European Film ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN HEMME DİES (HEMME'NİN ÖLDÜĞÜ GÜNLERDEN BİRİ) (TUR/DE) by Murat Fıratoğlu
European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI Nominations for films and talents from Germany in the arts & crafts categories: European Casting Director: Karimah El-Giamal & Jacqueline Rietz for SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
European Cinematographer: Fabian Gamper for SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
European Composer: Michael Fiedler & Eike Hosenfeld for SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
European Costume Designer: Sabrina Krämer for SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN)
European Makeup & Hair Artist: Irina Schwarz & Anne-Marie Walther for SOUND OF FALLING (IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN) European Makeup & Hair Artist: Torsten Witte for BUGONIA (US/KOR/IRL/UK) European Editor: Toni Froschhammer for DIE MY LOVE (UK/US/CAD) European Sound Designer: Gwennolé Le Borgne, Marion Papinot, Lars Ginzel, Elias Boughedir & Amal for THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (TUN/FR/UK/CYP/SAU/IT/US) The nominations are based on the votes of 5,400 members of the European Film Academy who have been watching the films included in the annual Academy Shortlist. Now the Academy members will vote for the winners. The 38th European Film Awards will then take place on January 17, 2026, in Berlin.
The prestigious awards are annually presented jointly by the European Film Academy and European Film Academy Productions. All nominations can be found on www.europeanfilmawards.eu | |
| 18 German short films have been submitted to the 98th Academy Awards® in the categories “Animated Short Film,” “Live Action Short Film,” and “Documentary Short Film” after qualifying for submission between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, by winning an award or being screened in theaters in the United States: Animation BALKONE (BALCONIES) by Xenia Smirnov
(5 min, 2024, monströös, Theatrical Run USA)
Festivals (selection): Anibar 2024, Winterthur 2024, Clermont-Ferrand 2025, Dresden 2025, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg 2025, Minikino Bali 2025, Newport Beach 2025 BUTTERFLY KISS by Zohar Dvir
(10 min, 2024, DE/IL, Fabian&Fred, Golden Hugo Best Animation Short – Chicago Film Festival 2024)
Festivals (selection): AFI Fest Los Angeles 2024, Tallinn 2024, Athens Film Festival 2025, Vienna Shorts 2025, Bengaluru Short Film Festival 2025, Out on Film Atlanta 2025, Woodstock 2025 DETLEV by Ferdinand Ehrhardt
(13 min, 2024, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Best International Animation Short Film Cinelebu – Lebu International Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Hof 2024, Leuven 2024, Filmfest Dresden 2025, SXSW Austin 2025, Cinequest San Jose 2025, Go Short Nijmegen 2025, Annecy 2025, Grimstad 2025, Siggraph 2025, Calgary 2025, Tirana 2025, Show Me Shorts New Zealand 2025, Belo Horizonte 2025 DULL SPOTS OF GREENISH COLOURS by Sasha Swirsky
(11 min, 2024, Wait A Second!, Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis 2024 – Animationsfilm bis 30 Minuten
ASIFA Austria Award Best Film AA Animation Avantgarde Competition – Vienna Shorts 2025
Grand Prix Best Short Film – Animafest Zagreb 2025)
Festivals (selection): Locarno 2024, Montreal Nouveau Cinema 2024, Tallinn 2024, Denver 2024, Animateka Ljubljana 2024, Ann Arbor 2025, Go Short Nijmegen 2025, Hong Kong 2025, Vienna Shorts 2025 MORAL SUPPORT by Vuk Jevremovic
(4 min, 2024, DE/HR, Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film – Ann Arbor Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Annecy 2024, Ottawa Animation 2024, Animateka Ljubljana 2024, Athens Film Festival 2025, Anifilm 2025, Vienna Shorts 2025, Odense 2025, Indiecork 2025 MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER by Abdelrahman Dnewar & Saad Dnewar
(15 min, 2025, EG/FR/DE, Milkman Films, Golden Gate Award Best Animated Short Film San Francisco International Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Rotterdam 2025, Clermont-Ferrand 2025, Annecy 2025, HollyShorts 2025, Telluride 2025, El Gouna 2025, Sevilla 2025 PATTERNS by Alex Glawion
(8 min, 2024, Best Animated Short Award – Cleveland International Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Siggraph 2024, Foyle 2024, Seattle 2025 A SPARROW’S SONG by Tobias Eckerlin
(9 min, 2025, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Student Academy Award Gold – Animation 2025, Short Film Grand Jury Prize – Calgary Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Siggraph 2025, Bengaluru Short Film Festival 2025, Cinanima Espinho 2025 RADIX by Anne Breymann
(4 min, 2025, Animation Shorts Jury Award – New Hampshire Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Krakow 2025, Chilemonos 2025, Annecy 2025, Palm Springs 2025, Animator Poznań 2025, Encounters Bristol 2025, Imagine Amsterdam 2025 Documentaries CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG by Hao Zhou
(23 min, 2025, DE/US/CN, Best Short Film Award - DocAviv – Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival 2025, Best Short Documentary – Blackstar Film Festival Philadelphia 2025, Grand Prix International Competition – Drama International Short Film Festival 2025, Best Documentary Short – Hamptons International Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Rotterdam 2025, Frameline San Francisco 2025, Guanajuato 2025, Odense 2025, AFI Fest Los Angeles 2025, ZINEBI Bilbao 2025 EINE EINZELNE TAT (A SINGLE INCIDENT) by Constanze Wolpers
(19 min, 2023, Radpaar Films, Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis 2024 – Dokumentarfilm bis 30 Minuten Laufzeit)
Festivals (selection): Dokfest Kassel 2023, Filmfest Dresden 2024, Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg 2024, Vienna Shorts 2024 MAMA MICRA by Rebecca Blöcher
(24 min, 2024, Fabian&Fred, Theatrical Run USA)
Festivals (selection): IDFA 2024, Flickerfest Sydney 2025, Full Frame Documentary Festival 2025, Hong Kong 2025, Krakow 2025, Uppsala 2025, interfilm Berlin 2025 PREKID VATRE (CEASEFIRE) by Jakob Krese
(30 min, 2025, DE/IT/SI, Majmun Films, Golden Chair for Best Short Documentary – Norwegian Short Film Festival Grimstad 2025)
Festivals (selection): Berlinale Shorts 2025, Go Short Nijmegen 2025, Vienna Shorts 2025, Guanajuato 2025, Dokufest Prizren 2025 Live Action DER BADEANZUG (THE SWIMSUIT) by Amina Krami
(10 min, 2025, DE/AT, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Austrian Short Film Award ÖW Austrian Competition – Vienna Shorts 2025)
Festivals (selection): Drama 2025, Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers' Festival 2025, Uppsala 2025, Hof 2025, Zagreb 2025, Mar del Plata 2025, Belo Horizonte 2025 BITTER CHOCOLATE by Sahar Sotoodeh
(20 min, 2024, IR/DE, PakFilm, Best Live Action Short Film - Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2025)
Festivals (selection): Brussels Short Film Festival 2025, FEST Espinho 2025, Odense 2025, Minikino Bali 2025 MELODIES OF BARKING DOGS by Daniel Huss
(9 min, 2024, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis 2024 – Spielfilm bis 10 Minuten Laufzeit)
Festivals (selection): Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2024, Oberhausen 2024, interfilm Berlin 2024, Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg 2025 TENEZ by Maximilian Nita
(20 min, 2025, Grand Jury Prize Narrative Short – Dallas International Film Festival 2025) WALUD by Daood Alabdulaa, Louise Zenker
(27 min, 2024, DE/TN, Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München HFF, Best of Fest – LA Shorts 2025)
Festivals (selection): Bogoshorts 2024, Clermont-Ferrand 2025, Short Shorts Tokyo 2025, Cinema Jove Valencia 2025, FEST Espinho 2025, Tel Aviv Student Film Festival 2025, Odense 2025, Santa Fe 2025, Camerimage 2025 On December 16, 2025, the shortlists, each containing up to 15 titles, will be announced. The five nominated titles will be published on January 22, 2026. The Oscar® ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026. Qualifications for submission:
To be eligible for submission to the Oscar competition, a short film must have won a major prize at an international festival recognized as “qualifying” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Student Academy Award, or a national film award (e.g., German Short Film Award). Short films that were not produced at universities can alternatively qualify for submission by having been commercially released in theaters in the USA for at least 7 days. The respective “qualifier” is indicated in parentheses.
The Academy does not publish the titles of all submitted short films, so German Films cannot guarantee the completeness of this list. | |
| The nominees for the 41st IDA Documentary Awards and the 19th Cinema Eye Honors were announced in November. The German shorts CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG by Hao Zhou (DE/US/CN) and MAMA MICRA by Rebecca Blöcher (Fabian&Fred) as well as the feature ARCHITECTON by Victor Kossakovsky (DE/FR, Ma.ja.de) are nominated for an International Documentary Award. The winners will be presented in a ceremony in Los Angeles on December 6, 2025. MAMA MICRA is also shortlisted for the Cinema Eye Honors Short Film Category together with CRYING GLACIER by Lutz Stautner (El Flamingo), the short film nominees will be published in mid-December. Feature nominees for the Cinema Eye Honors include ARCHITECTON and also RIEFENSTAHL by Andres Veiel (Vincent Productions). The Cinema Eye Honors award ceremony will be held on January 8, 2026 in New York. Find a detailed list of nominations of German films and co-productions at IDA Documentary and Cinema Eye Honors.
41st IDA Documentary Awards
Best Short Documentary
CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG by Hao Zhou (DE/US/CN)
MAMA MICRA by Rebecca Blöcher (Fabian&Fred) Best Short Documentary Special Mention
PLEASE STEP ASIDE! by Raha Faridi (Raha Films) Best Sound Design
ARCHITECTON by Victor Kossakovsky (DE/FR, Ma.ja.de) 19th Cinema Eye Honors
Cinematography
ARCHITECTON by by Victor Kossakovsky (DE/FR, Ma.ja.de) Editing
RIEFENSTAHL by Andres Veiel (Vincent Productions) Sound Design
ARCHITECTON by Victor Kossakovsky (DE/FR, Ma.ja.de) Shorts List
CRYING GLACIER by Lutz Stautner (El Flamingo)
MAMA MICRA by Rebecca Blöcher (Fabian&Fred) Broadcast Film
DEMOCRACY NOIR by Connie Field (US/DK/DE, Ma.ja.de) | |
| Cologne-born actor Udo Kier, whose career spanned more than 250 films and several continents, died in California on November 23, 2025, at the age of 81. Kier’s rise began with his iconic Warhol-produced cult films FLESH FOR FRANKESTEIN (1973) and BLOOD FOR DRACULA (1974), directed by Paul Morrissey. These roles established him internationally and led to extensive collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder on titles such as THE STATIONMASTER'S WIFE, THE THIRD GENERATION, and LILI MARLEEN. He also worked with Werner Herzog (MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE, 2009) and Christoph Schlingensief (EGOMANIA - ISLAND WITHOUT HOPE, 1986 / THE SLIT, 1996). A key turning point came when Kier met director Gus Van Sant at the Berlin Film Festival. Van Sant helped him obtain an American work permit, and in 1991 cast him in MY PRIVATE IDAHO, the film that introduced him widely to U.S. audiences. That same era marked the beginning of his long partnership with Lars von Trier, spanning projects from EPIDEMIC and EUROPA to BREAKING THE WAVES, DANCER IN THE DARK, DOGVILLE, MELANCHOLIA, and NYMPHOMANIAC: VOL. II. Through the 1990s and 2000s, Kier became known for eccentric and striking supporting roles in Hollywood productions such as ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, ARMAGEDDON, and BLADE, as well as for appearances in Madonna’s book and music videos. He also acted alongside major stars including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nicole Kidman, and Bruce Willis. In collaboration with Anthology Film Archives, the German Film Office organized a film series entitled “The Strange Case of Udo Kier” in 2023. The series celebrated the actor's most extraordinary films, reflecting both the astonishing variety of roles Kier has played over the years and his collaboration with many of the greatest filmmakers of our time. Udo Kier himself presented several screenings at the time. Kier’s final screen appearance was in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian film THE SECRET AGENT, a German co-production which is Brazil's Oscar® entry, recently premiered in German cinemas and earned recognition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Udo Kier has received several awards, including a lifetime achievement award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in 2022, the Special Teddy Award at the Berlinale in 2015, and the CineMerit Award at Munich Film Festival in 2014. Udo Kier eventually settled in Palm Springs, where he cultivated a life immersed in art and architecture and became a familiar figure at the Palm Springs Film Festival. | |
| The focus of the next session for the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on December 14th will be BARBARA by Christian Petzold. The film celebrated its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2012 and won the Silver Bear for Best Direction. Our curator Jim Kolmar's comment on the movie: "Christian Petzold’s 2012 film BARBARA continues his exploration of the German national psyche through collective traumas, and, by extension, our shared human experience. Barbara (Nina Hoss) is a doctor in 1980s East Berlin, suddenly exiled to a rural clinic as punishment for pursuing an exit visa to the West. Indignant and aloof, her predicament soon forces her to reckon with the paranoia of a society where spies seem to lurk around every corner. Hoss is characteristically luminous and enigmatic, and Petzold’s narrative unfolds with elegance, and his superficial concerns function as a lure to the meatier themes that simmer below the surface. Our task as audience is to let them emerge at their own pace, and reward us with a richly cinematic experience that’s sure to yield energetic discussion. Don’t miss BARBARA!" RSVP here Date and time: Sunday, December 14th 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 88 - December 4, 2025:
Obsessed with T2 and having a life-motto straight from LORD OF THE RINGS – sound designer and editor Billie Mind gave us some interesting insights into her creative mindset and the importance of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY for her film obsession.
Episode 89 - December 25, 2025:
Our talk with director and animator Tobias Eckerlin covered his passion for movies, the forbidden mystery of a particular STAR WARS scene, food – and wonderfully enough, the chilled hobbit lifestyle. The Student Academy Award winner gave us some fun insights into his creative mind. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| Episode 5 - November 11, 2025:
Actor Felix Kramer returns, this time to Deep Dive Genre, to talk about his series ODERBRUCH – including lying in fake blood for several hours during one particular scene, staying as curious as on day one, and the film classic NOSFERATU and the powerful emotions it manages to portray. Episode 6 - November 25, 2025:
Director and writer Tim Fehlbaum is back. This time our conversation about his films HELL and TIDES had us nerding out over Sci-fi genre films (shout out to ANOTHER EARTH). Tim reveals that budget limitations can lead to creative ingenuity, and what his four sisters have to do with his strong female characters. We also go off on a little Steven Spielberg tangent. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. DEEP DIVE GENRE on Instagram! | |
| Awards for Judith Kaufmann & Fabian Gamper at CamerImage
At the 33rd edition of CamerImage, the most important film festival for cinematography held in Toruń, Poland, German cinematographer Judith Kaufmann won the main prize, the Golden Frog, for her work on Petra Volpe's LATE SHIFT. Fabian Gamper won the Silver Frog for SOUND OF FALLING. In the Student Etudes competition, the German projects SKIN ON SKIN (FABW) and WALUD (HFF Munich) were honored.
Animated, Documentary and International Feature Films eligible for 98th Oscars® announced
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® has announced the list of all submissions for Oscar® nominations in the categories "Best International Feature Film," (86) "Best Animated Feature Film," (35) and "Best Documentary Feature Film" (201) that meet the selection criteria. Among the eligible films are the German productions SOUND OF FALLING (Best International Feature Film), STITCH HEAD (Best Animated Feature Film) as well as ARCHITECTON and RIEFENSTAHL (Best Documentary Feature Film). You can find the complete list of eligible films for consideration for Best International Feature Film, Best Animated Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature Film here. 98th Academy Awards preliminary voting for select categories will begin on Monday, December 8, 2025, and end on Friday, December 12, 2025. Shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
MDR children's series AUF FRITZIS SPUREN wins Emmy
The MDR series AUF FRITZIS SPUREN – WIE WAR DAS SO IN DER DDR? has won an Emmy for international television productions. At the awards ceremony in New York, the children's series prevailed in the "Kids: Factual & Entertainment" category against competitors from Brazil, UK, and South Africa. The partly animated six-part series by Ralf Kukula and Matthias Bruhn is set in divided Germany shortly before reunification. The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presents the awards separately from the national Emmys, which were presented in September. Sixty-four nominees from 26 countries were nominated, and awards were presented in sixteen categories.
German Short Films 2025 – Annual Online Catalogue Complete
With the third and final update for 2025, 35 new shorts have been added to the Online Short Film Catalogue. The members of the AG Kurzfilm – German Short Film Association and a jury have selected a broad spectrum of short films - fiction films, animated films, experimental films and documentaries as well as various hybrid forms. The update includes films that have premiered at festivals such as Oberhausen, Cannes, Annecy, Locarno, Venice and more. Everyone interested can search for German short films in the online catalogue using a wide range of functions, keywords, themes, categories, etc. International film professionals can also screen the films online after registering. Nine short documentaries and animations from the update were registered on DOK Leipzig’s Market Library as well. The trailer for the update is available here. The 2025 catalogue selection is now complete, with a total of 94 short films added this year. Almost 1,200 short films produced since 2004 are now available for viewing. The selection process is currently underway for the films of the next update which will go online in February 2026 in time for the festivals of Clermont-Ferrand and Berlin.
Calls for applications - ACE Mentoring Programme EU 2026: German Films cooperates with the ACE Mentoring Programme, which aims to support upcoming producers in managing their careers and developing their international network. Each year up to 10 producers, based in the EU or a Creative Europe MEDIA Programme country, will be selected. To best benefit from the programme, producers should have a full-length project in development – fiction, animation or documentary. Programme dates are February – December 2026 with a total of 4 (online) meetings held throughout the year. Deadline to apply is December 9, 2025. More information can be found here.
- Sheffield Doc Fest - MeetMarket Entries: The MeetMarket welcomes entries from makers around the world, with projects either in development, production, post-production, or rough cut stage. This year, submissions from creators whose film ideas are rooted in podcast storytelling are encouraged. This can be an investigative series, a personal narrative, or an audio documentary. Deadline is January 28, 2026. More information can be found here.
- DOK.fest Munich - VFF Documentary Production Award: The VFF Documentary Production Award honours the role of production in the creation of documentary feature films. Producers are invited to submit their current documentary films. The award is donated by the VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film und Fernsehproduzenten mbH. Deadline is February 2, 2026. More information can be found here.
- Scholarship at the Tarabya Cultural Academy in Istanbul: Artists from various disciplines who live and work in Germany can apply for a four- to eight-month residency at the Tarabya Cultural Academy in Istanbul. In addition, Turkish-German co-production grants will once again be awarded in cooperation with the Allianz Foundation. Tandems of creative professionals from Germany and Turkey can apply for these grants together. Deadline is December 29, 2025. More information can be found here.
- 56th Giffoni Film Festival: The Giffoni Film Festival represents a place for vivacious interaction among filmmakers, producers and distributors and also establishes a bridge between the industry production universe and its target audience. The festival will take place from July 17 to 25, 2026. Deadline for submissions is May 11, 2026. More information can be found here.
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| German productions and co-productions at Tallinn, Leeds, Seville, Mar del Plata, Ankara, Bilbao, Alcalá de Henarres, Bejing, Arras, Doc NYC, Kolkata, Gijón, Leuven, Turin, Bogotá, Ljubljana and Goa. | |
| Awards for German productions and co-productions at Thessaloniki, Winterthur, Denver, Leeds, Stockholm, Tallinn, Amsterdam and Toruń. | |
| International releases of German films in December 2025 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: BIBI BLOCKSBERG - DAS GROSSE HEXENTREFFEN in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (Distributor: DCM Filmdistribution, Theatrical Release: December 11, 2025, Grant: 13,500 €)
DER HELD VOM BAHNHOF FRIEDRICHSTRASSE in Switzerland (Distributor: Filmcoopi Zürich, World Sales: X-Verleih, Theatrical Release: December 18, 2025, Grant: 10,750 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Argentina (Distributor: BF Paris Srl, World Sales: Europa-Park Freizeit-und Familienpark Mack KG, Theatrical Release: December 11, 2025, Grant: 5,000 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Bolivia (Distributor: BF Disitribution Bolivia, World Sales: Europa-Park Freizeit-und Familienpark Mack KG, Theatrical Release: December 11, 2025, Grant: 2,500 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Chile (Distributor: Comercializadora BF Limitada, World Sales: Europa-Park Freizeit-und Familienpark Mack KG, Theatrical Release: December 11, 2025, Grant: 3,000 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Peru (Distributor: BF Peru, World Sales: Europa-Park Freizeit-und Familienpark Mack KG, Theatrical Release: December 11, 2025, Grant: 5,000 €)
HEIDI - RESCUE OF THE LYNX in France (Distributor: Apollo Films Distribution, World Sales: Studio 100 Film, Theatrical Release: December 17, 2025, Grant: 15,000 €)
KARLA in Argentina (Distributor: Mirada Distribution, World Sales: Encripta, Theatrical Release: December 18, 2025, Grant: 1,900 €)
PATERNAL LEAVE in Austria (Distributor: Stadtkino Filmverleih, World Sales: Eksystent, Theatrical Release: December 05, 2025, Grant: 1,500 €)
STICH HEAD in France (Distributor: Wild Bunch FR, World Sales: GFM, Theatrical Release: December 17, 2025, Grant: 12,500 €)
STROMBERG - WIEDER ALLES WIE IMMER in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens-Film AG, World Sales: Filmwelt Verleihagentur, Theatrical Release: December 04, 2025, Grant: 10,500 €)
THE PHYSICIAN 2 in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens-Film AG, World Sales: Constantin Film Distribution, Theatrical Release: December 25, 2025, Grant: 12,000 €) Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time. | |
| Contact:
Angela Sonntag (Head of Press & Public Relations) | |
| German Films Service + Marketing GmbH
Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße 16
80331 München/Deutschland Tel +49-89-59 97 87-0
Fax +49-89-59 97 87-30 | |
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