A total of 21 German productions and co-productions were presented in various sections at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this year. German Films also hosted a cocktail at the Lido with around 150 guests.
Toronto International Film Festival took place this year from September 4 to 14. Films from 30 countries were screened, including 21 German productions and co-productions. Together with European Film Promotion (EFP), German Films welcomed guests at the Europe! Hub at TIFF.
The 30th edition of the Festival du Cinéma Allemand in Paris will be taking place this year from October 8-12, 2025. The Paris-based event will open with a screening of SOUND OF FALLING in the presence of director Mascha Schilinski, DoP Fabian Gamper, and producer Lucas Schmidt. To mark our 30th anniversary, we will also be offering master classes, a screening of a former audience award-winning film, and additional Q&As with German directors. The festival will close on Sunday evening, October 12 with RAIN FELL ON THE NOTHING NEW.
Cartoon Forum, the pitching and co-production forum for European animated series, took place from September 15-18 in the French city of Toulouse. At the 36th edition, four German animated series and co-productions were presented.
FACE TO FACE WITH GERMAN FILMS ambassador Tim Kuhn currently tours South America: At his first stop, the director of photography (HAPPY HOLIDAYS, 22 LENGHTS, KRANK BERLIN) joined 25th Festival de Cine Alemán in Buenos Aires in Argentina. He then traveled to Mexico, where he will be part of the Festival de Cine Alemán in Mexico City.
The festival circuit in spring and summer 2025 brought together a large number of German productions and co-productions from the documentary genre – quite a few of which won awards.
In our next two episodes of the SHORT TAKE podcast we will be talking to producer Fred Burle, who is known for productions like CALLE MALAGA, THE SECRET AGENT and KÖLN 75, and also took part in the EFP's "Producers on the Move" program this year, as well as to actor Michael Epp, who can be seen in recent international productions like THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER and THE BRUTALIST.
In October we will be releasing two more episodes of our eighth season of the DEEP DIVE GENRE podcast focusing on SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY. In the third and fourth episodes, we spoke to actors Mala Emde and Lisa Vicari.
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.
