Das Bremer Filmfest 2025

**Cornelia Holsten, Director of Brema – Bremen State Media Authority**

**Gunnar Geise, board member of swb AG**

Filmaward Diversity

powered by brema und swb

In 2026, Filmfest Bremen will award the Film Award Diversity, powered by brema and swb, for the first time. The award honors films that make diversity visible and show why it enriches our society. Many people still experience discrimination, for example because of their age, skin color, origin, religion, abilities, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Every person brings their own strengths, experiences, and perspectives. Yet diversity is often measured against a supposed norm. How arbitrary this norm is becomes apparent every day when we consider questions such as who we regard as belonging to society, who we see as valuable or worthy of support, whose concerns we take seriously, and to whom we grant the same rights we claim for ourselves.

The films presented here do not only depict the worries and struggles of those whom we often assume to be long integrated and fully equal. They also highlight issues many people were not even aware existed. Above all, they demonstrate one thing: diversity is not a problem, but a valuable force that brings communities to life.

With the Film Award Diversity, Filmfest Bremen, the Bremen State Media Authority brema, and swb aim to help make diversity a matter of course and something more than just a frequently used buzzword.

AWARDS

Best Feature Film 2.000€

Best Short Film 1.000€

Skiff

Der Frog And The Water

Paint Me A Road Out Of Here

Espina

Seeing Through The Darkness

Luisa

We will never be victims again! Humans with disability and/or mental illness against the extreme right

Short Film Diversity

Breaking Barriers

Eva Maria Sommersberg

Eva Maria Sommersberg worked as a theater actress for many years before increasingly dedicating herself to writing. In 2020, she co-founded Drei Schwestern Produktionen to realize her debut project, the improv series Wodkavariationen, serving as writer, director, and actress.

In 2022, she completed her training as a screenwriter at the Masterschool Drehbuch and began a traineeship at Studio Hamburg Serienwerft in 2023. Since then, she has been developing her own original material, participating in writers’ rooms (ARD), and writing dialogue scripts.

Since 2022, she has served on the board of Pro Quote Film, advocating for gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within the film and television industry. In 2025, she was appointed as an examiner for the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Fernsehen (the German voluntary self-regulation body for television).

Burkhard Knoch

He completed his studies in Psychology and German Philology at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Bremen. He is now a Systemic Consultant and Executive Coach, and Head of Health Management, Diversity, and Inclusion at swb AG.

Julia Heimlich

Julia Heimlich works as a Press and Public Relations Officer at the Bremische Landesmedienanstalt (Bremen State Media Authority), where she focuses on increasing the visibility of diversity and accessibility in the media.

She studied History and German Philology in the Ruhr area—with ventures into film studies. As a passionate cinephile, she especially loves films that touch the heart and bring tears to one’s eyes.

Film Award Diversity