Our first programme highlights for 2026

From 5 to 15 November, as part of our anniversary year, you can once again enjoy numerous German premieres by young international directing talents and well-known filmmakers. We’re already revealing a few programme highlights: this year’s ON THE RISE competition features films from Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Japan, Croatia, South Korea and the USA, amongst others. For example, the family drama *The Guest*, the ‘partners-in-crime’ story *Gelegenheitsdiebe*, the portrait of a young Iranian in Berlin, *Lovers Sleep Alone*, and *Body of Glass*, a psychological drama about a dancer in Marseille trying to free herself from a toxic relationship. Also in the competition is ‘A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra’, a dreamlike coming-of-age film hovering between this world and the next, which won the prestigious Orizzonti Award for Best Director at Venice.

Other highlights include the Cannes sensation ‘Club Kid’ by Jordan Firstman, Wim Wenders’ new 3D documentary ‘From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor’, and Danny Boyle’s tabloid media thriller ‘Ink’, about the rise of the British newspaper The Sun and media magnate Rupert Murdoch. Also featured are the Gen Z drama ‘I Can’t Say No to Myself’ by Israeli director Hadas Ben Aroya, Lili Horváth’s science-fiction drama ‘My Notes on Mars’ and the major Locarno winner ‘You Don’t Belong Here’ by Florin Șerban, one of the most important voices in contemporary Romanian cinema.

So it’s set to be another varied and diverse festival – make a note of 16 October now, as that’s when we’ll be publishing our full programme. Tickets will be available from 19 October.

You can find further information on the first programme highlights in our press release.