Film Festival Cologne

Already looking today at what everyone will want to see tomorrow? This is roughly the credo of the Film Festival Cologne, which has repeatedly demonstrated foresight and the right intuition since its inception. For example, in 1991, when Twin Peaks flickered across the screens in Germany for the first time. Or later groundbreaking series like Emergency Room, Sex and the City, or The Office – all of which had their German premiere at the Film Festival Cologne. Along with many other outstanding films, documentaries, and other audiovisual formats.

Every year, renowned filmmakers and enthusiasts travel to Cologne to attend this internationally significant industry event, which includes the presentation of numerous cinema, TV films, series, as well as media-political and -aesthetic debates. With around 30,000 visitors, the Film Festival Cologne ranks among the largest film festivals in Germany. With enough space for exchange, future ideas, trends, and above all, many moving images – as expressions of a deep passion. And every year, it's lights, camera, action for you too, and eyes wide open: since 1991.

Audience magnet and industry event

The exciting presentation of new cinematic brilliance makes the festival, of course, attractive to cinephiles and film fans. But primarily, it remains an industry event that attracts numerous players from the film industry and has already welcomed many international stars in Cologne: David Lynch, Jane Campion, Isabelle Huppert, Steve McQueen, Lars von Trier, Mads Mikkelsen, Juliette Binoche, Paolo Sorrentino, Rami Malek, Robert Pattinson, Jon Hamm, and Elisabeth Moss – they all and many others have been there. On the website, you have the opportunity to filter between public and professional programs and compile your schedule for the week.

How it all began and remained

It all started in 1991 as the Cologne Conference by the Grimme Institute's director Lutz Hachmeister, with a focus on international television. In 2016, it was renamed Film Festival Cologne.

Competitions such as the “Top Ten of International Television,” the “Look” series for extravagant audiovisual aesthetics, “Cinema” for exciting results from the independent cinema landscape, or the “Spectrum Young Film” series quickly established themselves in the years following the founding. The “Lectures” have brought talks and discussions to the stage every year since 2007, and since 2011, there have also been workshop discussions with the award winners.

Highlight: the Awards

The ceremonial highlight of each new edition is the Awards: the most important prizes include the Film Prize Cologne, endowed with 25,000 euros and sponsored by the Film and Media Foundation NRW and the City of Cologne, the Film Prize NRW, The Hollywood Reporter Award for an emerging personality in the film and TV industry, the International Actors Award for outstanding acting achievements, and the Phoenix Prize for outstanding documentaries or filmmakers. Occasionally, a jury also awards the Manfred Stelzer Prize and Cologne Creative Award to media creators who have made a significant contribution to the future of audiovisual storytelling.

Since 2007, there has been the Film Prize Cologne, which over the years has been awarded to a number of outstanding filmmakers: 2007 to Paul Haggis, 2009 to Roman Polanski, 2010 to David Lynch, 2012 to François Ozon, and 2014 to Lars von Trier, to name a few.