European Work in Progress (EWIP) and the International Film Distribution Summit (IFDS) move from Cologne to Hamburg

While FILMFEST HAMBURG had already gradually expanded its industry program in recent years with the Explorer Conference, from this year’s edition onwards, in addition to presenting innovations and trends, it will also become one of the central networking platforms for the German and European film industry.With European Work in Progress and the International Film Distribution Summit, not only producers, distributors, world sales agents and festival curators as well as up-and-coming

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Call for quotas for co-determination and participation by the “Eastern film and television industry”

The fact that representatives from East Germany are still severely underrepresented in the German media industry as a whole, as well as in the so-called new federal states, is difficult to understand 35 years after reunification. Even less acceptable, however, is the fact that audiovisual media offerings on TV and in cinemas, which are predominantly produced in the West, are still characterized by stereotypes of the East that are far

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Anthology: Shaping Film Festivals In a Changing World

An open access publication, edited by Dorota Ostrowska and Tamara Falicov, which presents differentiated reflections by academics, film festival curators and historians on current challenges facing the film festival sectorin the context of post-pandemic realities and the impact of a global political crisis. Access can be found here

Lecture: The ecosystem of Chinese film festivals and their contribution to the diversity of film culture

A lecture by CAO Liuying, board member of the Shanghai Film Critics Association, on February 14, 2025 at 7:30 pm via ZoomThe Chinese film market is characterized by a large population base and a strong production landscape. Nevertheless, the distribution sector is increasingly struggling with growing homogenization. The scope for independent and low-budget films, especially arthouse, has been further restricted in recent years. The film festival landscape is trying to

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Film festival on course for success again in 2024

With the statement “more guests than ever before at the Hof International Film Festival” festival director Thorsten Schaumann underlined the positive balance of the last edition on behalf of a large number of German film festivals in 2024, thus also pointing to the continuing interest of audiences and industry visitors in film experiences outside of the regular cinema. However, the fact that the success of numerous film festivals in the

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Debt brake in major cities brings film festivals into existential difficulties

While last year the drastic cost-cutting measures of a number of municipalities also reached the film festival sector, it is now also the metropolitan areas, including the city states, whose in part massive savings are jeopardizing the existence of a large number of film festivals. In Berlin, film festivals such as the Berlinale as well as the film festival platform SinemaTranstopia and thus a number of film festivals that strive

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Sundance demonstrates the extraordinary value of film festivals for their locations

In May 2024, factors such as infrastructural restrictions on its social inclusion efforts, the incompatibility of openness towards diverse life concepts and the political and legal framework conditions, as well as the lack of support from the local population, prompted the Sundance Institute to issue a call for tenders for a new location. As a result, numerous US cities from San Francisco to Cincinnati bid to host the world’s most

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Publication of the 2023 analysis of the film festival sector

With the publication of the new edition of the SPIO Film Statistics Yearbook (Filmstatistisches Jahrbuch), the latest data on the film festival landscape once again complements the developments in the film industry in Germany. While the German film festival sector was characterized by significant consolidation in 2022 and the associated heavy losses, this phase is now coming to an end in 2023 with 14 new entries and 24 market exits.

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3, 2, 1 take off THIS IS SHORT

After two seasons in 2021 and 2022, the streaming portal THIS IS SHORT will be launched today on November 20, 2023 as a new and permanent short film platform available worldwide. The streaming service for „great cinema in all its shortness“ is curated and presented by no less than the six major festivals Vienna Shorts (AT), International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (DE), Go Short (NL), Short Waves (PL), IndieLisboa (PT)

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Statement by the AG Filmfestival on the attacks on film festivals as a result of the Israel-Palestine conflict 

Since November 1, unknown activists via a blog of the so called international film community have been severely criticizing Lars Henrik Gass, the director of the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, and now also Orwa Nyrabia, the director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, must face far-reaching accusations in connection with the Israel-Palestine conflict, the AG Filmfestival has now published a statement (first published by Artechock). „The AG Filmfestival stands

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