Film festivals in Germany
For anyone interested in cinema, there are lots of forums in Germany beyond the Berlinale. Seven places to go – for connoisseurs and anyone interested.
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival
Filmmakers such as Roman Polanski have shown their first works in Oberhausen, the oldest short film festival in the world. With the “Oberhausen Manifesto“ in 1962, which called for a renewal of the German cinema, young directors made history.
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival
Here auteur films are given a forum. For over 60 years, the festival has been showing the works of young, talented filmmakers; François Truffaut, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders were here.
Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animation Film
“DOK Leipzig“ was founded in 1955 in the former German Democratic Republic and saw itself during the Cold War as a place of exchange for artists from East and West. Today it is still an important meeting place for makers of ambitious documentary films.
Lucas
The most longstanding film festival for young audiences has great cinematic experiences in store for families and film fans alike in Frankfurt am Main, Offenbach am Main and Wiesbaden. The film festival Lucas challenges its young audience with weighty themes. It aims at being a “challenging festival” – and a window on the world.
Munich Film Festival
The gathering of the film industry in the Bavarian capital is the second biggest in Germany after the Berlinale: in 2023, the 147 selected films from 61 countries were viewed by 58,000 visitors. Endowed with 70,000 euros, the New German Cinema Award is also presented in Munich.
INDEPENDENT DAYS | International film festival in Karlsruhe
Film-goers can look forward to independent film productions from all over the world at the festival Independent Days in Karlsruhe. The festival aims to demonstrate that great films can be made with limited financial resources as well. Viewers can choose between short films, documentaries and feature films. The organisers attach particular importance to genre diversity. This is why they are actively committed to cinema that has the courage to overcome the boundaries imposed by reality.
www.independentdays-filmfest.com
Festival of German Film in Ludwigshafen am Rhein
The festival has been held on the Rhine island Parkinsel in Ludwigshafen since 2005. Some 50 films are shown in a number of cinema tents and an open-air cinema, most of them German productions. There are also around 300 events such as talks with actors and film-makers. Finally, a large number of well endowed prizes are awarded. Held at the end of August and in early September, the festival is steadily growing, currently attracting some 100,000 visitors.
