Bremen & Surroundings

Films from Bremen and the surrounding areas, as well as productions shot in Bremen or Lower Saxony, of any genre, constitute a central element of the Filmfest Bremen. In the local competition, on the one hand, there are feature films and documentaries produced around the world but with involvement from Bremen or Lower Saxony, and on the other hand, films that directly engage with regional history or were shot in the region. The film festival aims to be the platform where the Bremen audience can witness the diversity and creativity of the local film scene.

This year, the “Senator for Culture” is doubling the prize money to €3,000 for the Best Film from Bremen.

19 short and medium-length films and seven feature-length films – from an unconventional interpretation of a well-known fairy tale to drama, comedy, experimental films and documentaries – show the broad spectrum of local filmmaking.

We are delighted that the BAB is able to sponsor the awards for Best Film from the Bremen region and Best Short Film from Bremen and the surrounding area. Thanks to their help, we were able to double the prize money in this section and also offer an additional prize for the best short film.

Prize money

• Best Bremen film: endowed with EUR 3,000, donated by the Senator for Culture
• Best film from the Bremen region: endowed with EUR 3,000, donated by the BAB
• Best short film from Bremen & surrounding area: endowed with EUR 1,500, donated by the BAB

Our Jury

In previous years, the winning films were determined by a public vote. As of this year, an expert jury made up of the winners from previous years in this section will decide on the prizes.

Nadine Niemann

Nadine Niemann has been working for Radio Bremen since 2011. She has been a permanent employee in the Society programme department since 2014, first as an editorial assistant and since 2021 as a permanent editor. Her main focus is on Radio Bremen productions for ARTE. Since 2019, she has been working as an author for documentaries herself. She was awarded the audience prize at the Bremen Film Festival in 2022 for her first documentary “Leben ohne Erinnerung”. As an editor, she was part of the team that won the Prix Europa for the best European documentary series and the Hoimar-von-Ditfurth_Preis for the best journalistic achievement in 2022 with “Wen dürfen wir essen?”.

is a director specialising in children’s and youth films. He studied “Motion Pictures” at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and Arts and “Film” at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts. His debut film “Morgen irgendwo am Meer”, about four young adults who travel to Portugal by the sea in search of freedom after graduating from high school, was named best film in Lower Saxony at the Bremen Film Festival and will be released in cinemas on 6 June 2024.

Niclas Mehne completed the “1 YEAR FILMMAKING PROGRAMME” at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles and successfully completed his directing studies at the Hochschule für Medien und Kommunikation in Cologne in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts, as well as his Master’s degree in “Staging the Arts & Media” at the University of Hildesheim in 2023. For his debut film “Schlussklappe” he was awarded the first NewComerComedy director’s prize for the best debut of a feature-length comedy by the Club der Filmjournalisten as part of the Ernst Lubitsch Prize in 2022. Niclas Mehne lives in Lower Saxony and works as a screenwriter and director.