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Body of Glass wins the Kutxabank-New Directors Award

Naëmi Ada's debut feature Body of Glass has won the Kutxabank-New Directors Award at the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival.

The jury was chaired by producer Juan Pablo Miller, with Marina Charriton, Jonathan Romney, Dana Blankstein Cohen and Tamar Novas. A special mention went to The World Before by Yoon Dan-Bi.

Selma von Polheim Gravesen was the film's cinematographer; it was shot in Marseille. The world premiere took place on 19 September at Kursaal 2.

World premiere of Body of Glass in San Sebastián

Body of Glass, the debut feature by Naëmi Ada, celebrated its world premiere on 19 September at the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival. The film runs in the New Directors section, competing for the Kutxabank New Directors Award.

Shot in Marseille, it follows the dancer Tian, who flees a violent relationship and finds herself drawn into the grief of a stranger's family. The premiere screening at Kursaal 2 was followed by a Q&A with the team; further screenings ran until 24 September, including a film talk with Naëmi Ada at Tabakalera.

Produced by Lalise Mudda (DFFB) in co-production with Soilfilms and Soldat Features, funded by the Leuchtstoff initiative of rbb and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Editor: Elena Weihe.

Ein Arm ist ein Arm ist… in competition at Max Ophüls Preis

Bastian Gascho's short Ein Arm ist ein Arm ist… had its world premiere in January 2026 in the competition of the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis in Saarbrücken, the most important festival for young German-language cinema.

The five-minute film was produced at the DFFB. It was later also shown at Achtung Berlin.

German Short Film Award for Mother Is a Natural Sinner

Mother Is a Natural Sinner by Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadžija has won the Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis 2025 in the category fiction up to 15 minutes, awarded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media on 20 November 2025 in Berlin.

The jury praised "a remarkable camera move and meticulously planned shots, paired with clever, humorous dialogue — in short: great cinema." The film had premiered at Locarno in 2024 and has since travelled to more than thirty festivals.

Produced by Maximilian Feldkamp at the DFFB.

First Steps Award 2025: Schwesterherz wins Best Feature Film

At the First Steps Awards on 6 October 2025 in Berlin, Schwesterherz (The Good Sister) by Sarah Miro Fischer was named best feature film. Selma von Polheim Gravesen was nominated for the Michael Ballhaus Prize for cinematography; Sarah Miro Fischer and Agnes Maagaard Petersen were nominated for the screenplay award.

The First Steps Awards honour graduation films from German-speaking film schools and are among the most important awards for emerging filmmakers in Germany.

Creative Energy Award at Filmfest Emden

At the 35th Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney in June 2025, Selma von Polheim Gravesen (cinematography) and Elena Weihe (editing) received the Creative Energy Award, endowed with 5,000 euros, for Schwesterherz by Sarah Miro Fischer.

Schwesterherz premieres in the Berlinale Panorama

Schwesterherz, the debut feature by Sarah Miro Fischer, had its world premiere on 13 February 2025 in the Panorama section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Marie Bloching and Anton Weil play the siblings Rose and Sam, whose close bond is put to the test when Rose learns of rape allegations against her brother.

Produced by Janna Fodor and Nina Bayer-Seel at the DFFB with rbb and ZDF, co-produced by Nephilim Productions and Arkanum Pictures. After Berlin, the film travelled to more than twenty festivals from Espoo to Bangkok and was released in German cinemas by Eksystent Filmverleih.

Schwesterherz wins the WIP Europa Industry Award in San Sebastián

Months before its premiere, Schwesterherz was presented as a work in progress at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2024 and received the WIP Europa Industry Award — a first international recognition for the film while it was still in post-production.

Mother Is a Natural Sinner premieres in Locarno

Mother Is a Natural Sinner by Hoda Taheri and Boris Hadžija had its world premiere in August 2024 in the Pardi di Domani international competition of the 77th Locarno Film Festival. In the same year the short won the Best Live Action Short Award in Tirana and Best Film at the Festival Jóvenes Realizadores in Granada.

Hoda, an Iranian refugee in Germany, faces an unexpected pregnancy and begins to question the norms surrounding gender roles, feminine bodies and motherhood. Shot on Arri Amira and Blackmagic Pocket, 15 minutes, produced at the DFFB.