25. – 29. November, Freiburg

The new film festival for filmmakers, creatives, and cinema enthusiasts

Stories that connect. Magic that lasts.

The Black Forest Film Festival brings international cinema to the heart of Europe – to the Black Forest, to Freiburg and across the region.

Here, atmosphere, style and allure meet stories that weave the magical and the past, create the new or reveal the personal.

With its unique story market, an international competition, industry gatherings and outstanding events, the Black Forest Film Festival is more than a festival: it is a stage where unforgettable stories come to life – mysterious, radiant, unmistakable, like the Black Forest itself.

Highlights

First Highlights of Our Programme

We are delighted to share the first highlights of the Black Forest Film Festival! Look forward to inspiring encounters with international guests, unique insights into the worlds of music and film, and moving cinema from Europe and beyond.
For our professional audience, we also offer an exclusive presentation as part of our Story Market at the German Diary Archive – with fascinating insights into the world of personal memories.

Secure your tickets now – the first programme highlights are here!

Margarethe von Trotta Retrospective

Patron of the Black Forest Film Festival

As patron of the first Black Forest Film Festival, we are proud to honour Margarethe von Trotta with a retrospective of her work. Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in European auteur cinema, von Trotta’s films combine the personal, the political and the historical with striking clarity and depth. Her work explores themes such as memory, resistance, identity and responsibility – often against the backdrop of major historical change.

From The German Sisters to Rosa Luxemburg and Hannah Arendt, her films invite audiences into complex emotional and intellectual spaces, while remaining true to an independent artistic vision. This retrospective is an invitation to (re)discover the cinema of a filmmaker whose perspective continues to resonate powerfully today.

Tickets

Adrian Wootton

We are especially delighted to welcome Adrian Wootton (OBE), CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission – one of the most respected figures in world cinema. Beyond his expertise, he brings stories that open a captivating window behind the dream factories and into the no less glittering world beyond the big screen. At the BFFF, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary music film Tommy – set to the unforgettable music of THE WHO. We will screen the film, with Adrian Wootton as its charismatic narrator.

The Rolling Stones – Led Zeppelin – Duran Duran – INXS – Tom Jones:

Chris Kimsey has recorded and produced them all. The legendary engineer, producer and architect of the rock and pop sound that shaped modern music history joins BFFF to share his wild, multifaceted memories – a unique glimpse into the diary of his extraordinary life.

DEFIANT (UHMA)

Another highlight of this year’s festival is the Finnish feature film DEFIANT (UHMA), which we are proud to present in the presence of its director Visa Koiso-Kanttila. The award-winning filmmaker has a rare gift for portraying the fragile yet defiant inner worlds of young people with striking intensity. Following the screening, there will be a talk with the director and a Q&A with the audience.

The Story Market

A treasure trove of powerful stories

The Story Market is the creative heart of the festival – a true treasure chest filled with stories waiting to be brought to life on screen. Alongside biographical texts, literature, and original material, special attention is given to diaries from the past three centuries – authentic, unfiltered testimonies of their time. These are presented in cooperation with the German Diary Archive.

To open the programme, the Story Market focuses on a theme that speaks to us all:

"Disconnected – and Full of Possibilities. Between Alienation and New Perspectives."

It features stories that explore feelings of being a stranger, inner disconnection, and personal upheaval – and the potential to develop new ways of seeing and understanding.

Industry professionals from film and media gain exclusive access to national and international materials with strong potential for adaptation and development.

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Register now for the Story Market!

The Story Market at the German Diary Archive is a professional-only event and exclusively intended for film and media professionals.

Please register for the Story Market at the German Diary Archive in Emmendingen on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, including details of your professional background and position, here: …

Apply now!

If you are unable to attend, please make sure to let us know.

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