News

At the BOO International Short Film Festival in Prague Jana Cernik (Nov. 4–8) is part of the Czech-German jury. Jutta Wille will be attending SHOWup! in Halle (Nov. 10), the exground filmfest in Wiesbaden (Nov. 13–15), and the Kassel Dokfest (Nov. 17–21). Felix Völkel and Anne Turek will be at the film.land.sachsen Network Day (Nov. 12) in Döbeln. The AG Kurzfilm team will also be at the German Short Film Awards ceremony in Hamburg on Nov. 16. Jana Cernik will be attending the Televisionale in Weimar (Nov. 24–26).

Starting now and through November 30, 2026, we are accepting submissions of independent productions for the FFA’s SHORT TIGER AWARD 2027. A jury of experts will select up to five winning films, which will then tour internationally as part of German Films’ Next Generation Short Tiger short film program.

AG Kurzfilm firmly opposes the planned drastic cuts to the future EU funding program AgoraEU. Together with short film festivals, training programs, film markets, and co-production platforms from across Europe, it has joined forces to form a newly established, informal alliance: the Short Film Coalition. In an open letter to the members of the European Council, the coalition calls for the cuts to be reversed.

With the new edition of FEINKOŠT, AG Kurzfilm is once again sending a selection of current short documentaries from Germany and the Czech Republic on a tour of both countries. The tour kicks off on October 8, 2026, at the Bio Oko cinema in Prague. The program’s German premiere will be celebrated on October 30, 2026, as part of the German-Czech Cultural Days at the Programmkino Ost in Dresden.

For the 15th time, AG Kurzfilm is calling on anyone interested throughout Germany to screen short films and organize their own events on December 21 or during the six days leading up to it. The theme of this year’s KURZFILMTAG is “In Motion.” The trailer for KURZFILMTAG can be downloaded at kurzfilmtag.com and used for promotional purposes.

From September 14 to 18, 2026, Leipzig will once again become a hub for arthouse cinema: At the 26th Filmkunstmesse, industry professionals will gather to exchange ideas, and AG Kurzfilm will be represented, as usual, with a diverse program focused on short films.

The German Short Film Association has moved to a new office. Our new address is: Schlesischer Platz 2, 01097 Dresden, Germany. We kindly ask for your understanding if we are not as easily reachable as usual at the moment.

The website for the 15th SHORT FILM DAY is now live! This year’s theme is “In Motion.” The first film programs available for booking are already featured at www.kurzfilmtag.com. More programs will be added throughout the summer.

These animated films have been added to our short film catalog, GERMAN SHORT FILMS, in 2026 and can be viewed by the film professionals after registration.

From 23-26 June 2026, the AG Kurzfilm, together with German Films, will be present as part of the Festival International du Film d'Animation at the affiliated film market MIFA. In addition, they present the current short animated films in our online catalog. Eleven German (co-)productions can also be seen in the sections of the festival.

Just in time for the Festival de Cannes, AG Kurzfilm presents the second selection of the GERMAN SHORT FILMS catalog 2026. The new films are now available online for the international film industry. Trailer: Vera Herr; Sound & Music: David Kamp, Dustin Sam Iwen; Motif: Jonatan Schwenk

We present new catalog films in Cannes, offer numerous networking opportunities for the German filmmakers on location, including workshops, market guidance and pitch training. Five German short films were invited to La Cinef, Quinzaine and Semaine de la Critique.

Films that challenged conventional viewing habits, explored new paths thematically, stylistically, and visually. After thirteen years and seven editions, the Emerging Artists: Contemporary Experimental Films and Video Art from Germany program will end. Our increasingly strained financial situation no longer allows us to continue this special film program. We deeply regret this decision, but we see no other option. We thank all the filmmakers who entrusted us with their films for this project. The program may still be screened until the end of 2026.

The FFA’s SHORT TIGER AWARD was presented to five short films at the Filmfest Dresden. Together, they celebrated their program premiere in the NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER short film program organized by German Films. The jury consisted of director Anna Roller, Sarah Dombrink (interfilm Berlin), and Andreas Heidenreich (board member of the Federal Association of Municipal Film Work, Kommunales Kino Weiterstadt). AG Kurzfilm managed the submissions for non-student projects.

Find festivals at a glance! Our new festival search provides an overview of hundreds of international short film festivals. Using the filter settings, you can search by upcoming festival dates, submission deadlines, and countries.

The members of the Association have re-elected Amrei Keul (International Short Film Week Regensburg) and Karsten Matern (AG Animationsfilm) to their positions. Sarah Dombrink (INTERFILM Berlin), Katrin Mundt (European Media Art Festival Osnabrück), and Wolf Plesmann (German Film and Television Academy Berlin) were newly elected to the board, also with overwhelming approval.

Under the umbrella of German Films, we will be presenting our current projects at our stand (No. 18) at the European Film Market from February 12-18, 2026, advising filmmakers and festival representatives on all questions relating to short film.

The Berlinale 2026 (February 12–22) will kick off with a significantly increased presence of German short films: a total of 15 German short film productions will be represented in various sections of the festival—three times as many as last year. The selection includes numerous world premieres and international co-productions.

For the 21st time, a new edition of the SHORT EXPORT – MADE IN GERMANY program will be screened as part of the Soirée Allemande at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. On February 2, 2026, at 6 p.m., the six new works in this year's program will be presented in the presence of numerous filmmakers.

AG Kurzfilm will again be present with a booth at the film market of the International Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand from February 2 to 5, 2026. In cooperation with German Films, we will present numerous current German short films in two market screenings. A total of 18 German short films can be seen in the various competitions and sections of the festival.

December once again is all about short films: The KURZFILMTAG (Short Film Day) is just around the corner. On the shortest day of the year, December 21, as well as during the six days leading up to it, more than 500 highly diverse events will take place in over 200 cities and municipalities, both offline and online. More information and a list of all events can be found at:

Do you want to screen an accessible short film program and check whether the films already have audio description? In our new film list, you’ll find both German and international short films with accessible screening options – including the respective rights holders. We update the collection continuously: if you have a short film that can be shown in an accessible format, please get in touch!

In 2025, we are confronted with cuts in the cultural budget of the city of Dresden (location of the AG Kurzfilm office) and the state of Saxony and must therefore come to the conclusion: The insufficient funding makes fair payments for authors and translators impossible. From now on, there will be no more articles on shortfilm.de. Only festival dates and deadlines will continue to be updated regularly.