Humour/Satire

Keep laughing

Rarely have social and political systems been so marked by instability, upheaval, and chaos. In times like these, is it even still acceptable to laugh? This year’s selection of films in the Humor/Satire section shows: it is not only acceptable — it is necessary. Humor has always been an important vehicle for addressing topics that might otherwise remain unspoken. And through laughter, we can also discover new ways of reflecting on long-standing problems. After all, perhaps one’s own ovaries also have something to say about the desire to have children. Can workplace problems be solved with a bomb? And what is it like to work as a professional mourner who can be booked for funerals?

This year’s film selection once again demonstrates that tragedy and comedy, despair and hope, death and life — can sometimes be very close to one another. Things get wild here, sometimes provocative, and at times our program pushes the boundaries of good taste. Or rather: categories such as taste, decorum, manners, or politeness occasionally need to take a break. In this section, you will certainly get your fill of that.
From more than 300 submissions, our 17-member selection committee has chosen 18 short and medium-length films as well as seven feature-length films to compete for the prizes listed alongside.

Awards

Best Feature Film
(45 minutes or more), endowed with 5,000 EUR,

donated by the Senator for Economics, Labour and Europe

Best Medium-Length Film
(15 to 45 minutes), endowed with 2,500 EUR,

sponsored by the Senator for Economics, Labour and Europe

Best Short Film
(up to 15 minutes), endowed with 1,500 EUR,

donated by the Senator for Economics, Labour and Europe

Our expert jury will award the winning films on April 19th 2026 at Kleines Haus of Theater Bremen.

Nominated Films In 2026

Psycho Therapy

Now I Met Her

Vampire Zombies… From Space

Together Apart

Espina

Dreaming of Lions

Stealing Land

Nominated Short Films 2026:

Short Films Humour/Satire #1

Karma Comes with Sweet Revenge

Short Films Humour/Satire #2

Stereotypes Suck!

Short Films Humour/Satire #3

I Want to Break Free

Short Films Humour/Innovation #4

Welcome to the Dark Side

Jury 2026

Florian Lukas

Gabriela Maria Schmeide

Ulf Israel

Florian Lukas (born in 1973 in East Berlin) began his career at a young age in the theater. He made his film debut in 1990 and appeared in films such as
„Absolute Giganten“ (1999), but his big breakthrough came in 2003 with „Good Bye, Lenin!“.

Lukas is known on television for his roles in the series “Weißensee” and “Die Wespe,” among others. He has appeared in over 150 film and television productions, for which he has won numerous awards, including the Bavarian Film Award, the German Film Award, the German Actor Award, and the German Television Award.

Most recently, he appeared in the television film „Rosenthal“ (2025) and on stage in the theater production „Mama Odessa“ (2026) in Hamburg.

He is also the narrator of numerous audiobooks, readings, and radio productions

Gabriela Maria Schmeide (born 1965) is a German actress of Sorbian descent. She studied at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin and began her career at the Berliner Ensemble. This was followed by long-term engagements at the Theater Bremen and the Thalia Theatre in Hamburg.

Gabriela Maria Schmeide is also known to a wider audience through numerous roles in film and television productions. She has received several awards for her artistic work, including the Kurt Hübner Prize, the Rolf Mares Prize, and is the current recipient of the Tilla Durieux Jewellery, the Adolf Grimme Prize, the Silver Hugo of the Chicago International Film Festival, the German Television Prize, the German Acting Prize and the German Film Prize.

Ulf Israel has been managing Senator Film Produktion, a subsidiary of Wild Bunch AG, since 2010. In addition to German (‘Sterben’, ‘Deutschstunde’, ‘Lommbock’, “Victoria”, ‘Pettersson und Findus’) and international cinema films (‘The Danish Girl’, ‘2 Tage New York’, ‘A Most Wanted Man’), the company is increasingly producing for TV and streaming (‘Warten auf’n Bus’, “Prey”, ‘Der Fall Marianne Voss’).

Before joining Senator, Ulf Israel headed 3L Filmproduktion for five years and worked as a freelance producer for Condor Communications AG, among others. From 1998 to 2002, he was involved in setting up X Filme Creative Pool GmbH and X Verleih AG as an advisor to the management and worked on films such as ‘Goodbye Lenin!’ during this time.

Ulf Israel is a graduate of HDK Berlin and holds a degree in communication management.

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