Once again, we can look back on a successful and wonderful film festival in Cannes. This year’s lineup was once again packed with numerous German films. In the competition, Valeska Griesebach’s THE DREAMED ADVENTURE - a major German production - and four other German co-productions were represented. Several awards went to German films, including the Jury Prize for THE DREAMED ADVENTURE. The Marché du Film was once again well-attended, and the German Pavilion drew many visitors, both during the day and at the extremely popular German “Happy Hours.”
The 45th Istanbul Film Festival welcomed more than 62,000 visitors. German films were strongly represented through several successful screenings and presented by German filmmakers, while German Films and Goethe-Institut Istanbul hosted their annual networking lunch and launched the KINO2026 programme.
From June 3-7, 2026, German Films is returning to the Cines Embajadores for this year's German Film Fest Madrid. 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.
German Films invites film rights-holders to participate in the selection of the German entry for the 99th OSCAR® competition in the category International Feature Film (feature film, animated film, documentary).
In our June episode of the SHORT TAKE podcast, we talked to Lydia Geissler. Lydia is also an ambassador for FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS this year. She works as a makeup artist and has worked on films such as STELLA. A LIFE and KARLA. As for the latter, she contributed period-accurate makeup concepts, aging effects, and character-specific designs.
We continued our rebranding of the DEEP DIVE GENRE podcast as DEEP DIVE TALK in May. The focus remains on providing insights into the work of filmmakers. In one episode, director Adolfo Kolmerer, who is known for the series SLOBORN, told us more about his work on ODERBRUCH. In June, we’ll be talking with writer Henk Handloegten about his new film FATHERLAND, which will be opening the Munich International Film Festival.
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.
