With „Munich Stories“ – Interventions in Public Spaces to Foster Encounters

Given the individualization and fragmentation of our society, it is primarily cities with large single populations, such as Munich, that are increasingly characterized by isolation and loneliness. Digital communication and the intensity of media consumption are replacing face-to-face interactions, and AI-powered assistants and social bots are taking the place of real friendships. In light of these developments, social cohesion in urban communities is coming under increasing pressure. The loss of

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Save the date: Conference “Participation in Film (Vol. 3)” Tutzing (near Munich), December 4–6, 2026

In collaboration with the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, FILMFEST MÜNCHEN—three years after a conference on a similar topic—now invites attendees to reflect on the current status quo, positive developments, and setbacks, particularly in times when financial leeway is shrinking. For some time now, cultural institutions have no longer been viewed primarily as producers of content for reflection, imagination, and entertainment, but are instead specifically called upon to play their part in

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Film festivals and wars: 2025 – The year of double standards

The article by Dunja Jelenkovic, recently published in the NECSUS Journal – an international, double blind peer-reviewed journal of media studies- , focuses on film festivals as ‘sites of memory’ and examines the year 2025 as the point of departure to compare how the leading European film festivals – Berlin, Cannes, and Venice – have responded to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine. [1] Since the establishment of the world’s first film

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What is the significance of second- and third-tier film festivals? PanelJune 28, 2026, 10:00 a.m. in Munich

In addition to the so-called “A-list” film festivals—such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, the Berlinale, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—film festivals at the regional level, ranging from the Munich Film Festival to the Neisse Film Festival, are also of great importance to films and their creators:While the former serve as key industry platforms that provide global visibility and market presence, regional festivals often offer

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Save the date 2nd Munich Film Summit on May 7, 2026

Following the 1st Munich Film Summit in July 2025, which focused on the question of how to revitalize Munich’s dwindling cinema culture, the 2nd Munich Film Summit is now set to take place on Thursday, May 7, as part of DOK.fest München, offering innovative solutions under the title “Outside the Box: New (Thought) Spaces for Film Culture.” It will be interesting to see what ideas, insights, and best-practice examples the

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FIAPF Strengthens the Global Film Festival Ecosystem Through a Comprehensive Overhaul of Its Accreditation System

The goal of this far-reaching overhaul of the accreditation process was to reflect the growing role of film festivals in the film industry. The most significant changes include: To ensure transparency and to serve as a useful resource, the key facts and figures for all accredited festivals are made publicly available on the FIAPF website. On this basis, six new film festivals have been added to the list of accredited

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The Berlinale and its Ministers of State for Culture

While Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters had opted for a dual leadership structure at the Berlinale—and thus against Dieter Kosslick—and Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth had questioned the value of such a structure and consequently declined to renew Carlo Chatrian’s contract in favor of a single-director model, the Berlinale’s current leadership, Tricia Tuttle, came now under fire from the Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer

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“I started getting anxious about the stories that I wanted to tell“

This is how Robert Redford described his reaction to the developments he observed in his early years in the film business in an interview with Indiewire in 2013. And this prompted him to found the Sundance Institute and establish the Sundance Film Festival to showcase all the exciting new voices in the world. There is certainly no other place in the world that has since become as relevant to independent

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BKM partially cuts funding for the 20 most important film festivals in Germany

As announced at the press conference of the Max Ophüls Prize film festival on January 15, contrary to his agenda of politically recognizing and supporting film culture and the film industry in all its diversity, Minister of State for Media Wolfram Weimer has significantly reduced BKM funding for a select group of German film festivals by 2026. This decision stands in direct contrast to the increase in federal funding for

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Film festivals between influence and responsibility

With the statement “It is important that they leave the cinema different from when they entered,” Christoph Terhechte expresses one of his core concerns as a long-time director of various film festivals in an interview, describing an essential characteristic of film festivals: their impact. The entire interview can be found in issue 4/2025 of Communicatio Socialis and is available to read free of charge in German here.