Top 11 Film festivals in Berlin

Autumn: This is cinema time. Because now not only the big summer blockbusters are running, but also the first Oscar candidates and promising new discoveries. In addition, there are a large number of film festivals such as "Around the World in 14 Films" and the "Italian Film Festival" in Berlin's cinemas, especially in November.

There is probably even a film festival every day in some Berlin cinema, celebrating Italian, French or Berlin films, the horror genre or simply the top films of all film festivals together. 

Tip 1: Berlinale

Only in February the Berlinale takes place, but it is simply Berlin's biggest and most important film festival. For 10 days the film world watches Potsdamer Platz, where the films celebrate their brilliant premieres in competition and the international top stars stand on the red carpet in a flurry of flashlights. In addition, there are countless other works from all over the world, which take the audience with them to foreign countries and other lives. You can bridge the waiting period until February with the current exhibition "Zwischen den Filmen" in the Deutsche Kinemathek.

By the way, we report live from the film festival every year in our BerlinaleBlog.

When: 7 - 17 February 2019
Where: Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz and other cinemas

More information about the Berlinale

Tip 2: achtung Berlin - new berlin film award

Films from Berlin and Brandenburg are shown at achtung berlin film festival. In addition to the competitions for feature films and documentaries, medium-length films, short films and extraordinary independent productions can also be seen - but all with a regional connection.

When: 10 - 17 April 2019
Where: Babylon, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, Mitte and other cinemas

Mehr Informationen über achtung berlin

Tip 3:  Italian Film Festival Berlin

From the Brandenburg to the Adriatic Sea: At the Italian Film Festival Berlin you can get an impression of the current Italian cinema. This year's guest of honour is Terence Hill, who is presenting his film "Il mio nome è Thomas". The retrospective of the festival is also dedicated to him.

When: 7 - 11 November 2018
Where: Cinema in the Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg

More information about the Italian Film Festival Berlin

Tip 4: Around the world in 14 films

The festival "Around the World in 14 Films" is a cinematic world trip to France, Iran and Hungary. At the Festival of Festivals you can see excellent films from Cannes or Venice, which have not been shown in Germany before. This year there will be contributions by Claire Denis, Jean-Luc Godard and Jafar Panahi. The festival will open with "Cold War - The Latitude of Love", which won the Best Director Award in Cannes.

When: 22 November - 1 December 2018
Where: Cinema in the Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg

More information about Around the World in 14 Films

Tip 5: French Film week

The next festival will follow at the end of November. The film week offers a foretaste of the upcoming films from France. You'll see in advance which French films the cinema-goers will actually be able to look forward to later.

When: 28. 11. - 5.12.2018
Where: Cinema Paris, Kurfürstendamm 211, Charlottenburg and other cinemas

More information about the French Film week

Tip 6: Interfilm – Internationales Kurzfilmfestival Berlin

Sometimes shorter is simply better. At the Interfilm Short Film Festival, only short films are shown, but around 500 from 120 countries. The focus this year is on works from the USA and former Yugoslavia. And you can look forward to "Eject - the long night of the absurd film".

When: 20 to 25 November 2018
Where: Miscellaneous Places

More information about Interfilm

Tip 7: Hellas Filmbox Berlin

The current Greek film is the focus of Hellas Filmbox Berlin in January. With exciting directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos and Rachel Tsangari, Greek cinema has attracted international attention in recent years, so it's certainly worth taking a look inside the Filmbox.

When: 17 - 20 January 2019
Where: Babylon, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, Mitte

More information about Hellas Filmbox

Tip 8: ALFILM – Arab Film festival  

You can explore the current film scene of the Arab world at ALFILM. Feature films, documentaries and short films no more than three years old compete at the largest German festival of their kind. There will also be retrospectives of well-known filmmakers and actors.

When: 3 - 10 April 2019
Where: various places

More information about ALFILM

Tip 9: Fantasy Filmfest

Fear Good Movies: The Fantasy Filmfest doesn't just show fantasy and horror, but also innovative and creative genre films of all kinds, films that have their own signature. In addition to the weird and offside, there are always great films to discover that otherwise go under or do not even make it into the normal cinema program.

When are the dates for 2019? There are no dates for 2019 yet, mostly in August / September.
Where: CineStar SonyCenter, Potsdamer Straße 4, Tiergarten and Zoo Palast, Hardenbergstraße 29a, Charlottenburg

More information about the Fantasy Filmfest

Tip 10: Jewish Film festival Berlin und Potsdam

The Jewish Film Festival sees itself as a forum for Jewish and Israeli film in Germany. Feature films and documentaries show all facets of Jewish life. A director's prize honors the best feature film and a jury of radio listeners selects the best documentary film.

When: Summer 2019
Where: Various cinemas

More information about the Jewish Film festival

Tip 11: 11 mm – Das Internationale Fußballfilmfestival

The ball comes onto the screen. As the name suggests, 11 mm - The International Football Film Festival is all about football. New national and international releases show all the beauty of the game or the loneliness of the goalkeeper at the penalty kick.

When: Spring 2019
Where? Babylon, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, Mitte

More information about 11 mm

You can find more film festivals in our calendar of events.