| The good festival year for German productions continued with an exciting line-up in Venice. The 82nd edition of Venice International Film Festival, as organized by the Biennale di Venezia, was held this year from August 27 to September 6. In total, 21 German productions and co-productions were screened in various sections, including Ildikó Enyedi's majority German production SILENT FRIEND, competing in the main Competition for the Golden Lion alongside 20 other films. The drama, set in a botanical garden, won several awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize, Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress for Luna Wedler, and the CinemaSarà Award. Other German films that attracted attention in Venice included FUNERAL CASINO BLUES by Roderick Warich (Orizzonti), HOLOFICTION by Michal Kosakowski (Venice Classics – Documentary On Cinema), SHORT SUMMER by Nastia Korkia (Giornate Degli Autori), and COTTON QUEEN by Suzannah Mirghani (Settimana della Critica).
The three-day Venice Gap-Financing Market showcased projects from around the world that are in the final stages of development and financing. The selection included three German productions: ATHOS 264 by David Wnendt, CALL ME QUEEN by Emily Atef, and SAVE OUR SOULS by Jonas Steinacker. WHAT THE FOX by Sina Ataeian Dena was a fourth production selected for Biennale College Cinema - Immersive Projects. On the first festival weekend, German Films, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Hessen Film, and Film- und Medienstiftung NRW hosted the traditional German Cocktail event. The German film teams and international filmmakers, buyers, world sales, and festival execs mixed and mingled at Bagno Marconi. | |
| Toronto International Film Festival celebrated a major milestone this year: the 50th edition of North America's largest film festival took place from September 4 to 14, 2025. Films from 30 countries had been selected for the eleven days of the festival. 21 German productions and co-productions screened in Toronto. There were several international and North American premieres - as well as one world premiere - among the German productions being shown in Toronto. MIROIRS NO.3 by Christian Petzold, DRY LEAF by Alexandre Koberidz, WITH HASAN IN GAZA by Kamal Aljafari and SOUND OF FALLING by Mascha Schilinski experienced their North American premiere. The latter, the German Oscar® entry, also started its Oscar® campagin on North American territory. BABYSTAR by Joscha Bongard had its world premiere in the Discovery section. Together with European Film Promotion (EFP) German Films welcomed many film enthusiasts and film crews of the German productions at the Europe! Hub at TIFF. On Sunday, filmmakers gathered in Toronto for German Films' business lunch during Toronto Film Festival. At Ricarda's restaurant, guests had time to exchange ideas, network, and chat in a relaxed atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the festival. | |
| The 30th edition of the Festival du Cinéma Allemand in Paris will take place from October 8-12, 2025. This special anniversary edition will be opening with Germanys entry for the Oscars® and winner of the Jury Prize in Cannes SOUND OF FALLING in the presence of director Mascha Schilinski, DoP Fabian Gamper and producer Lucas Schmidt. The “Avant-Première” is being presented to a French audience in cooperation with Diaphana Distribution, and with the kind support of ARTE. Other highlights in the program include the screenings of VENA in the presence of director Chiara Fleischhacker, THE MOELLN LETTERS in the presence of director Martina Priessner, and the short films from the NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER program that will be presented to a French audience by director Sofija Živković. Other “Avant-Premières” in the program will be AMRUM (Fatih Akin) and THE GOOD SISTER (Sarah Miro Fischer). To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’re also bringing back a film that is already a classic and won the Audience Award at the Festival du Cinéma Allemand back in 2013: OH BOY (Jan-Ole Gerster). This year’s Goethe Focus is on director, writer, actor, and producer Fabian Stumm. Not only will he be presenting his films SAD JOKES and BONES AND NAMES to a French audience but will also hold a three-hour masterclass at the Goethe Institute in Paris on October 10. The masterclass is being made possible with the generous support of the DFJW/OFAJ. In the presence of director Steffen Goldkamp, the festival will be closing on Sunday evening, October 12 with RAIN FELL ON THE NOTHING NEW. Full line-up:
SOUND OF FALLING by Mascha Schilinski
YUMI – THE WHOLE WORLD by Felix Golenko
CLOUDS ARE MADE OF RAIN by Benjamin Kramme
SAD JOKES by Fabian Stumm
BONES AND NAMES by Fabian Stumm
THE MOELLN LETTERS by Martina Priessner
IMPATIENCE OF THE HEART by Lauro Cress
CIRCUSBOY by Julia Lemke & Anna Koch
SMELL OF BURNT MILK by Justine Bauer
NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2025 (various directors)
AMRUM by Fatih Akin
OH BOY by Jan-Ole Gerster
I WANT IT ALL. HILDEGARD KNEF by Luzia Schmid
VENA by Chiara Fleischhacker
THE GOOD SISTER by Sarah Miro Fischer
RAIN FELL ON THE NOTHING NEW by Steffen Goldkamp The Festival of German Films in Paris is organized in cooperation with the Goethe Institute Paris and with the kind support of ARTE and the DFJW/OFAJ. | |
| Cartoon Forum, the pitching and co-production forum for European animated series, closed its 36th edition which went from September 15-18 in the French city of Toulouse with 870 participants from 37 countries. From 108 submissions, 75 new animated series and TV specials projects from 20 countries were pitched to find new partners for accelerating their development and distribution. Among the participants were producers, broadcasters, distributors, investors, streaming platforms, book publishers, and game developers. Four German animated series and co-productions were presented at Cartoon Forum: 3 CAPTAINS by Julia Ocker, A TRIP WITH A DRIP by Eckart Fingberg, based on the book by Josephine Mark, WING IT LIKE LILLY by Eckart Fingberg, SAN MISTERIO, Mago Production (Spain) & Mistral Films Studio (Germany). Besides the projects’ presentations, the agenda included a number of activities aimed at strengthening cooperation and promoting networking, and Filling the Gap in financing. The importance of public service broadcasting and cross-border collaborations were emphasized.
Awards for the Cartoon Forum Tributes were voted by the professionals attending. The awards in three categories were Broadcaster Danish Broadcasting Corporation, France’s Mediatoon Distribution was awarded Investor/Distributor for the year, and Producer of the Year went to Belgium’s Creative Conspiracy. In 2026, Cartoon Forum will take place from September 14 – 17. | |
| FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS ambassador Tim Kuhn currently tours South America: Last week, the director of photography (HAPPY HOLIDAYS, 22 LENGHTS, KRANK BERLIN) joined 25th Festival de Cine Alemán in Buenos Aires. He spoke at the opening press conference, sharing the stage with RIEFENSTAHL editor Alfredo Castro, Managing Director Simone Baumann, and German Films foreign representative Gustav Wilhelmi. Tim also joined the 25 years anniversary cocktail at the German Embassy in Buenos Aires and presented his latest cinema feature to the local audience in a surprise screening. The cinematographer and recipient of the 2023 German Camera Award and 2025 German Television Award for Best Cinematography answered all Q&A questions in fluent Spanish! He then traveld to Mexico, where he will be part of the Festival de Cine Alemán in Mexico City. On September 24, he held an exclusive Cinematography workshop for film students as part of his FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS 2025 engagement. The intimate session invited selected cinematography students from different film schools to dive deep into the essence of visual storytelling: the living pulse of the set, the intuition that guides the eye behind the lens, and the creative decisions that shape a film.
The workshop was held as a collaboration between Festival de Cine Alemán, German Films, ZEISS and Cinetec, with the support of CTT, Distrito 7 and HDLabs. Another highlight: a screening of JUPITER and Q&A with director Benjamin Pfohl and Tim Kuhn, discussing their film with the local audience. | |
| From spring fever to the doc days of summer – German Documentaries were hitting the festival circuit. The festival circuit in spring and summer 2025 brought together a large number of German productions and co-productions, many of which won awards.
Right on time with the first rays of sunshine, the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 6-16, 2025) opened, featuring ten major German productions – including THE MOELLN LETTERS by Martina Priessner, which had already won the Panorama Audience Award Documentary and the Amnesty Film Prize at the Berlinale earlier this year. With 27 (co-)productions, CPH:DOX in Copenhagen (March 19-30, 2025) was the frontrunner among documentary film festivals in the spring and summer of 2025 – 14 of which were majority German. ABODE OF DAWN by Kristina Shtubert celebrated its international premiere here and was awarded the Next:Wave Award. ABODE OF DAWN was also among the nine major German documentaries screened at Visions du Réel in Nyon (March 4–13, 2025). THE FAMILY APPROACH by Daniel Abma won the Perception Change Award on Lake Geneva. CIRCUSBOY by Julia Lemke and Anna Koch also depicts a very special family life. Eleven-year-old Santiago and his family move around with their home – a circus. The film celebrated its world premiere in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlinale and was one of four German (co-)productions at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto (April 24 - May 4, 2025). In addition to CIRCUSBOY, another German production - GIRLS DON'T CRY by Sigrid Klausmann - was screened at the International Film Festival for Youth and ChildrenZlín, which can be classified as part of the increasingly important subgenre of documentary films for children and young people. The Krakow Film Festival (May 26 - June 1, 2025) screened twelve major German documentaries, including FISSION by João Pedro Prado and Anton Yaremchuk, which had previously been shown at CPH:DOX, and ETERNAL YOU by Moritz Riesewieck and Hans Block, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. At the Sheffield Doc Fest (June 18–23, 2025), SHARDS OF LIGHT by Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz was featured in the International Competition. Prominently placed at an A-list festival, as the opening film of the Concorso Internazionale at the Locarno Film Festival (August 6–16, 2025), Kamal Aljafari's WITH HASAN IN GAZA celebrated its world premiere. With this statement, the jury of the Europa Cinemas Label recommended this year's award-winning film as the best European film for European cinema distribution. WITH HASAN IN GAZA continued its festival tour at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 4-14, 2025) and the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival South Korea (September 11-17, 2025). At the latter, the film was awarded the Frontier Competition Grand Prize. The Venice Film Festival (August 27 – September 6, 2025) was the grand finale for late summer, programming Michal Kosakowski's HOLOFICTION, composed of archive material, in the Venice Classics section. Summer is over – but anticipation for the fall festival season is in full swing: For example, we can look forward to Doclisboa International Film Festival (October 16–26, 2025), which will open with WITH HASAN IN GAZA. Also coming up are Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (October 24 – November 2, 2025), International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA, November 13–23, 2025), and DOC NYC (November 12–30, 2025).
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (November 7–23, 2025) will also be exciting again this year: the new documentary film competition Doc@PÖFF is entering its second round. | |
| The focus of the next session for the English-language KINO! FILM SALON online film club on October 12th will be THE LOST HONOR OF KATHARINA BLUM (DIE VERLORENE EHRE DER KATHARINA BLUM) by Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta. The film had its US premiere at the New York Film Festival in October 1975 and was subsequently shown in selected US cinemas. The film received two German Film Prizes in Gold for lead actress Angela Winkler and Director of Photography Jost Vacano. Our curator Jim Kolmar's comment on the movie: "In 1975 directors Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta delivered a startlingly prescient film whose incendiary social commentary continues to send out shockwaves fifty years later. Based on the novel by Heinrich Böll, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum explores the aftermath of a night shared between housekeeper Katharina Blum (Angela Winkler) and a suspected terrorist. The ensuing furore and media scrutiny amid a climate of political turbulence reveals a lot about our current relationship with the media we consume. Arguably one of the most provocative films of the so-called New German Cinema movement, it also remains one of the most accessible. Today, the film still impresses viewers with its evocation of state-sponsored violence, a lurid, predatory press hungry for a scoop, and the fragile nature of facts that can be all too easily manipulated. RSVP here Date and time: Sunday, October 12th 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 85 - October 2, 2025:
"Producer on the Move" Fred Burle talked and laughed about our favorite hero/anti-hero Snoopy, invisibility aka "the ostrich-maneuver", the random joy of white-chocolate ice cream, the unexpected pleasure of watching life play out on a cinema screen while seeing BOYHOOD and, of course, Ben Wishaw.
Episode 86 - October 23, 2025:
Actor Michael Epp offered us a great interview – we talked about his obsession with piano playing, the joy of Italian food, the advantage of working with a director who comes from acting and an interesting motto: "Don’t be desperate – until you are!" You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. SHORT TAKE on Instagram! | |
| Episode 3 - October 14, 2025:
One shouldn’t have favorites – but I have to admit that thanks to our interview, we are a little bit of a Mala Emde-Stan. The talented actress talked about acting as a process, the play being the most important part, and why prep is both horrible and also very important. And lest I forget: Sheep were also a big part of our wonderful, fun conversation. Episode 4 - October 28, 2025:
Multi-talented actress Lisa Vicari has a special connection to the HFF Munich. We talk about the great adventure of portraying one character across several timelines in DARK; there’s a shout-out to her HELL-co-star Hannah Herzsprung. And in between, Lisa reveals her love of being on set and her belief that we will always need good stories. You can find all of the episodes on our website and wherever podcasts are available. DEEP DIVE GENRE on Instagram! | |
| FEINKOŠT – The Czech-German short film tour 2025
The 16th edition of the traditional Czech-German short film tour FEINKOŠT will kick off with a premiere screening at Prague’s Přítomnost Cinema on October 8, 2025. Three Czech and three German documentaries have been selected for the program, telling stories of childhood, old age, the quest for freedom, and also of escaping from war. The following films will be screened in several German and Czech cities until December 2025: ASPARAGUS DEAD, CHERRIES RED by Elisabeth Wilke, Nina Moog, BUTTERFLY GIRL by Ema Hůlková, I DIED IN IRPIN by Anastasiia Falileieva (CZ/SK/UA), LIFE IS LIKE THAT AND NOT OTHERWISE. by Lenia Friedrich, SKY LIKE SILK. FULL OF ORANGES by Betina Kuntzsch and TOUCHING DARKNESS by Jamaica Kindlová (CZ).FEINKOŠT is organized by the AG Kurzfilm and KineDok / Institute of Documentary Film Prague with support from German Films and other institutions. Further details about the films and screening dates here. The FEINKOŠT 2025 trailer is available here. The program is also available for booking by German cinemas.
Isa Willinger among EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN+ IN FILM
European Film Promotion (EFP) continues its strong partnership with the Festival do Rio as a dedicated global partner for the EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN+ IN FILM Program, alongside the festivals in Busan and Sydney. With EFP’s support, the Festival do Rio (October 2–12, 2025) presents a carefully curated line-up of European films by emerging and established women, identifying directors who portray a rich diversity of nationalities, genres, and cinematic voices. Among the selected women is German director Isa Willinger with her movie NO MERCY.
German Short Film Program at MedFest Egypt
The former managing director of German Films and the Berlinale, Mariette Rissenbeek, was invited by MedFest Egypt in Cairo to head the jury of the festival’s seventh edition (September 17-21, 2025). MedFest Egypt focuses on the intersection between cinema and health; it was held this year under the special motto ‘Transitions’ – the moments of change that define who we are and who we will become. Mariette Rissenbeek was given a "carte blanche" for a short film program and curated four German short films for it: CRUST (KRUSTE) by Jens Kevin Georg, DETLEV by Ferdinand Ehrhardt, IN THE END WE’RE ALL MUSIC (AM ENDE SIND WIR ALLE GESANG) by Katharina Schnekenbühl, and IT’S JUST A WHOLE by Bianca Scali. Supported by the Goethe Institute Cairo, the program screened on September 20 and was followed by a conversation with Rissenbeek. The official program of the festival also included the German short IF I COULD FLY by Alex Kühn.
Call for applications
- EURODOC: Mid-career producers worldwide are welcome to apply for the 27th annual program of EURODOC. The aim is to enhance the artistic and financial development of the projects, to improve know-how about international co-production and company management, and to expand the network significantly. EURODOC focuses on the development of documentary film projects with high creative standards and a strong international potential. Deadline is November 26, 2025 (12:00pm, CET). More information can be found here.
- FIPADOC International Pitches: Submissions of documentary projects for the Fipadoc International Pitches are now open. You could be among the 24 teams, with fresh documentary projects presented to a large group of international funders. The International Pitches take place in Biarritz on January 28-29, 2026. Deadline is October 3, 2025. More information can be found here.
- Sheffield DocFest: Film entries are now welcome for the 33rd edition of Sheffield DocFest, which will take place from 10 - 15 June 2026. Completed documentary films of all lengths, from shorts to mid-length and features, are welcomed from all around the world. Early deadline is November 21, 2025, standard deadline is January 30, 2026, late deadline is February 20, 2026. More information can be found here.
- When East Meets West: Set to take place once again in Trieste on January 18-20, 2026, the upcoming edition of WEMW will feature an exciting East & West Focus on the Baltic Countries & GAS region, bringing together projects, professionals and talents from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the main goal being to facilitate new creative and business exchanges with the spotlighted territories. This upcoming East & West Focus has been made possible thanks to the support of FFA - German Federal Film Board, German Films, Austrian Films, Swiss Films, Estonian Film Institute, Lithuanian Film Center, National Film Centre of Latvia in cooperation with Cine Tirol Film Commission, Cinéforom, Hessenfilm&Medien, kreativland.tirol, MEDIA Desk Suisse, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM), Switzerland Film Commission and Zurich Film Fund. More information can be found here.
- DocsBarcelona: Barcelona International Documentary Film Festival DocsBarcelona has opened its call for films for its 29th edition, which will be held from May 7-17, 2026. The festival will program 10 days of screenings, activities, and visits from filmmakers from around the world in an edition that will also host DocsBarcelona Pro (May 9-14, 2026), a meeting and reference oint for the professional non-fiction sector in southern Spain, dedicated to projects in the development phase. Early Bird deadline is October 31, 2025, regular deadline is November 15, 2025. More information can be found here.
- Project submission Euro Connection Clermont-Ferrand 2026: For the 19th time, the European co-production forum Euro Connection will be held during the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival on February 3 and 4, 2026. Submissions are welcome from short film projects up to 30 minutes (animation, fiction, documentary) that are planned as international co-productions, have already secured part of their funding, and will not start shooting before June 2026. The contact for submissions from Germany is the AG Kurzfilm – German Short Film Association: further information here. XR projects up to 45 minutes will be presented as well, applications should be sent directly to the festival. The Euro Connection deadline is October 20, 2025. The German short film project DEEP SEA BLUE by Hilke Rönnfeldt and the XR project LALALABYRINTH by Pedro Harres were selected for Euro Connection 2025.
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| German productions and co-productions at San Sebastian, Vancouver, Drama, Baden, Bristol, Zurich, Hamptons, London, Mill Valley, Warsaw, Bucharest and Montreal. | |
| Awards for German productions and co-productions at Tel Aviv, Venice and San Sebastian. | |
| International releases of German films in October 2025 supported by the German Films Distribution Support program: GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Denmark (Distributor: Scanbox Entertainment Denmark, World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films, Theatrical Release: October 2, 2025, Grant: 4,500 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Finland (Distributor: Cinemanse, World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films, Theatrical Release: October 3, 2025, Grant: 3,500 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Sweden (Distributor: Scanbox Entertainment Sweden, World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films, Theatrical Release: October 3, 2025, Grant: 4,500 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in Belgium, Luxemburg (Distributor: WW Entertainment BVBA, World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films October 8, 2025, Grant: 3,000 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in France (Distributor: KMBO, World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films October 8, 2025, Grant: 5,000 €)
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE in the Netherlands (Distributor: WW Entertainment B.V., World Sales: Europa - Park Freizeit und Familienpark Mack KG/Timeless Films October 8, 2025, Grant: 4,000 €)
HEIDI: RESCUE OF THE LYNX in Greece (Distributor: Zinos Panagiotidis, World Sales: Studio 100, Theatrical Release: October 16, 2025, Grant: 3,000 €)
ISLANDS in Ukraine (Distributor: AT Films LLC, World Sales: Protagonist Pictures, Theatrical Release: October 9, 2025, Grant: 1,500 €)
KÖLN 75 in USA (Distributor: Kino Lorber (in association with Zeitgeist Films), World Sales: Bankside Films, Theatrical Release: October 17, 2025, Grant: 6,500 €)
MIRRORS NO. 3 in South Kora (Distributor: M&M International, World Sales: The Match Factory October 1, 2025, Grant: 7,500 €)
MIRRORS NO. 3 in Switzerland (Distributor: Filmcoopi, World Sales: The Match Factory October 9, 2025, Grant: 7,500 €)
MOMO in Switzerland (Distributor: Praesens-Film AG, World Sales: Constantin Film Distribution October 2, 2025, Grant: 6,500 €)
MÜNTER & KANDINSKY in Spain (Distributor: Surtsey Films, World Sales: The Playmaker Munich, Theatrical Release: October 3, 2025, Grant: 4,500 €)
SOUND OF FALLING in France (Distributor: Diaphana Distribution, World Sales: mk2 Films, Theatrical Release: October 15, 2025, Grant: 14,500 €)
THE GLORY OF LIFE in Taiwan (Distributor: Swallow Wings, World Sales: TrustNordisk, Theatrical Release: October 24, 2025, Grant: 8,000 €)
THE KISS OF THE GRASSHOPPER in Netherlands (Distributor: De Filmfreak, World Sales: Arthood Entertainment, Theatrical Release: October 9, 2025, Grant: 2,500 €)
THE LIGHT in Hungary (Distributor: ADS Service, World Sales: Beta Film, Theatrical Release: October 23, 2025, Grant: 2,500 €)
THE PRANK in the Netherlands (Distributor: In the Air, World Sales: Picture Tree International October 8, 2025, Grant: 2,000 €)
THE SUPER ELFKINS in Colombia (Distributor: Antartica Cinema, World Sales: Sola Media, Theatrical Release: October 9, 2025, Grant: 6,500 €) Please note: Correct at time of going to press. Changes may occur at any time. | |
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Angela Sonntag (Head of Press & Public Relations) | |
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