25. – 29. November 2025, in Freiburg and Emmendingen

The Festival between Real and Fantastic Stories

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.

Programme

About

Locations

Guests

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.

Highlights

Highlights of Our Programme

We are delighted to share some 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.

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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

Tickets

A Greeting from the Marmeladenoma & Reading by Paul Frey

The legendary Marmeladenoma, at 94 the world’s oldest live streamer, sends a personal greeting to the festival. Her son Paul Frey, author and co-writer of her book “My Life Is (Not) a Fairytale”, will read selected passages, sharing the remarkable story of a woman who has inspired millions to rediscover the magic of storytelling.

A heartfelt highlight of the Focus: Fairytales & Legends section – just before actor Robert Herzl brings traditional tales from the Black Forest, Alsace and Switzerland to life.

Tickets

TWIGGY - From London schoolgirl to icon of an entire generation:

Twiggy tells the story of a girl who became an overnight symbol of youth, change and self-determination in the 1960s.

Sadie Frost's documentary looks behind the image of the style icon and shows a woman who constantly reinvented herself – between fashion, music and emancipation. The result is a portrait of a time when female freedom became loud, visible and contradictory for the first time – and Twiggy became its face.

A precise, energetic portrait of fame, role models and the right to define oneself.

On 29 November at 6.15 p.m. at the Friedrichsbau Freiburg. Tickets are available online and at the cinema box office.

50 Years of Tommy – Anniversary Screening & Behind-the-Scenes Look with Adrian Wootton (OBE), CEO of Film London, and the unforgettable music of THE WHO

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.

On 27 November at 6:45 p.m. at Friedrichsbau Freiburg. Tickets are available online and at the cinema box office.

Herz aus Eis

In the 1970s, young Jeanne flees to an abandoned film studio – a place full of shadows, memories and unplayed roles. There she meets the mysterious actress Cristina, who draws her into a world of illusion and desire.

HERZ AUS EIS E is a hypnotic interplay between reality and fiction, between desire and loss of identity. In cool, dreamlike images, Lucile Hadžihalilović tells a story of female self-discovery, artistic obsession and the dangerous beauty of cinema itself.

Felix – a Jewish odyssey

We are particularly pleased to be able to show the moving documentary film ‘Felix Rottberger – Ein Leben zwischen Flucht und Neubeginn’ (Felix Rottberger – A Life Between Flight and a New Beginning) at Cine Maja in Emmendingen as part of our festival.

The film, made between 2009 and 2012, portrays Felix Rottberger, a committed citizen of Freiburg, devout Jew and respected member of the Jewish community. In moving images, he recounts his life – from his childhood fleeing the Nazis, to the dramatic separation from his family in Denmark, to his current work in Freiburg.

Viewers gain insight not only into the history of an extraordinary family, but also into Jewish life, festivals and rituals. Impressive footage of the Jewish cemetery in Freiburg and personal memories make this film a unique testimony to survival, faith and humanity.

After the film, Felix Rottberger will be present in person to talk about his life, the film and the importance of remembrance. Moderator: tba.

An evening of listening, respect – and shared reflection on how history remains alive.

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

Chris Kimsey recorded and produced them all. The legendary sound engineer, producer and architect of the rock and pop sound of the formative decades of modern music history shares his multi-layered, wild memories at the BFFF and gives us insights into the diary of his life.

On 28 November at 6.15 p.m. at Friedrichsbau Freiburg. Tickets are available online and at the cinema box office.