This year's Berlin International Film Festival took place from February 12 to 22, 2026. A total of 80 German productions and co-productions were shown in the various sections at the 76th Berlinale, including the opening film and three major German productions in the main competition section. The Golden Bear went to YELLOW LETTERS by İlker Çatak. Sandra Hüller was named Best Actress for her role in ROSE. PROSECUTION won the Audience Award.
The event at the Ritz-Carlton, a photo call followed by a one-hour panel discussion hosted by Melanie Goodfellow, Senior International Film Correspondent at Deadline International, targeted journalists from around the globe.
The European Film Market at the Berlinale launched its first Animation Days, showcasing nearly 30 animated features alongside international highlights including an Annecy-curated works-in-progress selection. Through pitches, panels and networking, the initiative strengthened animation's position within the global co-production and financing landscape.
For the 29th edition of the program European Shooting Stars organized by European Film Promotion (EFP), the talents were presented at this year's Berlin International Film Festival. Along with nine other actors, the Shooting Star from Germany, Enno Trebs, attended a five-day program that concluded with a glamorous awards ceremony.
Göteburg Film Festival took place from January 23 to February 1, 2026. At the 49th edition of the largest film festival in the Nordic countries, Germany was the country in focus of the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision. A strong German delegation of major regional film funding agencies attended in order to foster international exchange and expand co-production opportunities. In total, the festival presented 266 films from 76 countries to around 2,400 guests. Thirty-five (co-)productions from Germany were represented in various sections.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) took place from January 29 to February 8, 2026, presenting its 55th edition with 24 German productions and co-productions in the line-up. A FADING MAN by Welf Reinhardt competed in the Tiger Competition, while the German-French co-production HEART OF LIGHT – ELEVEN SONGS FOR FIJI by Cynthia Beatt, starring Tilda Swinton, screened to a large audience in the Harbour section. German presence also extended to industry activities.
Sundance Film Festival concluded on February 1, 2026, with the German production SHAME AND MONEY by Visar Morina winning the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The jury honored the film for its powerful and empathetic portrayal of human dignity, as it follows a Kosovar family forced to rebuild their lives in a hyper-capitalist society after losing their livelihood.
At the 48th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, three German films competed internationally, five screened in Young Audiences programs, ten more appeared in other sections, and the XR project DREAM SCREEN was pitched at Euro Connection, while German Films and AG Kurzfilm hosted a market booth.
In cooperation with the Goethe Institute and the German Embassy in Rome, the 6th edition of the Festival del Cinema Tedesco will take place at Cinema Quattro Fontane. The Italian film-savvy audience will be able to experience and enjoy new German films from March 19-22, 2026.
German cinema abroad looks back on a highly successful year in 2025. Overall, German films generated nearly €250 million in box office revenues outside Germany, and attracting more than 33 million viewers. Compared to 2024, this represents an increase of around 115 percent.
Our upcoming SHORT TAKE episodes feature writer-director Alexandra Brodski, who is known for short films like WALJA and the Disney+ series RIVALS. For our second episode in March we also talked to a writer-director: Yves Hensel has worked on series like GHOSTS and DER KÖNIG VON PALMA as well as short films like U-TURN and NIGHT OWLS.
Our season 9 continues with a focus on animation. In the third episode, we talked to multi-talented Steve Hudson, whose recent film STITCH HEAD has been shown in many countries. In episode 4, we talked to Mona Keil. As a director, animator, and stop-motion artist, she is also blessed with many talents. Her latest short film, SAFT, has been shown at over 100 festivals.
Benjamin Graf honored with Academy Award® for Scientific and Technical Achievement In mid-February, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 scientific and technical achievements, represented by 27 individual award winners, will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Among them is Benjamin Graf from Germany. He is being honored for the design, construction, and development of dxRevive Pro. The rationale for the award is as follows: "dxRevive Pro has revolutionized modern dialogue restoration techniques by combining noise reduction, layer separation, and resynthesis to achieve results that preserve the realism, continuity, and emotional authenticity of on-set performances, thereby reducing the need for ADR in the post-production process".
Annie Award for A SPARROW'S SONG Created in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, the Annie Awards recognize the animation industry’s most talented artists and storytellers. The 53rd annual Annie Awards were presented on February 22, 2026. The German short film A SPARROW'S SONG by Tobias Eckerlin, produced at Film Academy Baden-Württemberg, was awarded BEST STUDENT FILM. In his film, director Tobias Eckerlin—inspired by a true story—tells the tale of a widowed air raid warden in the midst of World War II who struggles to overcome her grief and find joy in her life again—until she discovers a dying sparrow that she hopes to save. The film was already awarded Gold in the Animation category in the 52nd Student Academy Awards® competition on October 6,2025.
German co-production MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN nominated for "Documentary Feature Film" at the Oscars® The documentary MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN, has been nominated for an Oscar® in the category "Documentary Feature Film". The film is a German co-production, co-produced by ZDF in collaboration with ARTE by commissioning editor, Susanne Mertens. Directed by David Borenstein and co-directed by Pasha Talankin, the film follows Pasha Talankin, a beloved primary school teacher in Russia, who sees his role upended after the invasion of Ukraine as he is drawn into an intensifying system of propaganda and militarization. Choosing conscience over compliance, he secretly documents what is happening inside his school and ultimately becomes an international whistleblower. The voting for the finals started on February 26, 2026 and will end on March 5, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15, 2026.
Next Generation Short Tiger 2026 selected German Films and the German Federal Film Board (FFA) annually introduce young talents and their short films to international audiences of professionals through their initiative NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER. The 2026 jury, director and Face-to-Face ambassador Anna Roller, Sarah Dombrink (interfilm Berlin) and Andreas Heidenreich (Kommunales Kino Weiterstadt) met in Berlin to screen the submitted films and decide on this year’s selection and the Short Tiger winners. Their decisions will be revealed soon, the new program will premiere on Saturday, April 18 at the 38th Filmfest Dresden and on Tuesday, May 19 as a Market Screening during the Festival de Cannes.
