Bremen & Surroundings

The section Bremen & Surroundings presents films from Bremen and the surrounding region. After all, Bremen does not have a film festival simply because it’s great to have one. (Although, of course, that too.) Each year, the competition program demonstrates the many ways in which the region is involved in the production of a wide variety of films — from first short films to major theatrical releases. International productions are shot here, documentaries explore topics related to the region and its history, or the film teams themselves have a local connection.

This year’s Bremen & Surroundings program stretches from the Arctic to Albania and Israel, bringing together experimental short films, inclusive dance films, and award-winning animations. The genres range from gangster comedy to absolutist costume drama to music video. Several filmmakers artistically explore questions of home, identity, and acceptance.

The ”Senator for Culture” is once again donating the price moneys of 5.500€ in total.

Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte, President
of the Senate and Senator for Culture

Prize money – donated by the Senator for Culture

Best Fiction Film Bremen (>20 minutes): endowed with EUR 2,000, donated by the Senator for Culture
Best Documentary Film Bremen (>20 minutes): endowed with EUR 2,000
Best Short Film Bremen (<20 minutes): endowed with EUR 1,500

Can We Do This?

Liberated Space

Free At Heart

Salt and Water

Der Frosch und das Wasser

Shakespeare500

Life Is Now – The Real Life Guys

Nominated Short Films 2026

Kurzfilme Bremen und Umzu #1

Home is, where the heart is

Kurzfilme Bremen und Umzu #2

My surroundings and me

Kurzfilme Bremen und Umzu #3

Life is unfair

Bad Luck

Our Jury 2026

Ayhan Salar

Birgit Möller

Meike Dannenberg

Born in 1967 in Izmir, Turkey.

1989–92 Studied cultural studies, art history and philosophy at the University of Bremen.

1992–1995 Assistant to Thomas Mitscherlich at the Bremen Institute for Film and Television.

1997 Diploma in Fine Arts/Film from the University of the Arts in Bremen.

2005–2006 Lecturer at the University of the Arts in Bremen.

Lives and works as a filmmaker, author, cinematographer and curator in Hamburg. With ‘salarfilm’ also active as a producer for international arthouse productions. Member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and the Asian Pacific Screen Academy (APSA).

Birgit Möller is a director and cinematographer. She studied at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). Her graduation film Valerie and her feature film debut Franky Five Star (both produced by ZDF – Das Kleine Fernsehspiel) were screened at international festivals and won several awards.

Meike Dannenberg, born in Bremen in 1974, has been working as a freelance journalist and author since completing her studies in applied cultural sciences. Since 2010, she has been an editor at BÜCHERmagazin, where her responsibilities include film and crime fiction.

Her novels are published by btb and Lübbe Verlag. The latest is the second volume in her series about ‘Die Ärztin’ (The Doctor), a gynaecologist in Bremen who, among other things, cares for victims of sexualised or domestic violence. Meike Dannenberg is a member of PEN Berlin and the authors’ association ‘Das Syndikat.’