47. Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize
With four films in the competitions and additional productions in the festival programme, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is prominently represented at the 47th edition of the renowned Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival (19–25 January 2026) in Saarbrücken. The festival is considered one of the most important showcases for young German-language cinema.
Documentary Competition: Ten Films Compete for Four Awards
Among the entries competing for the €7,500 Max Ophüls Prize for Best Documentary is the graduation film NOTHING REMAINS NOTHING DISAPPEARS (dir. Paul Sonntag*) from the Filmakademie. The documentary follows a street corner in Berlin-Moabit in transition: an aging supermarket turns into a construction site and finally a new building. People restock shelves, demolish walls, take breaks and count money. Those who work here participate in the making and unmaking of the place. How does it shape the conditions of their labor? Between supermarket aisles, construction scaffolding and exposed concrete, different versions begin to overlap. Repetitions appear like echoes between worlds, both playful and eerie.
Short Film Competition: 25 Selected Productions in the Running
Featured films include:
- TAUT (dir. Ilya Barrett, ca. 6 min) – The animated short tells the story of Stringo, a malformed Wellow, who struggles to fit in with his herd. When a creepy, hand-shaped creature invades their grove, Stringo confronts it and returns changed.
- THE GIRL IS TAKEN AWAY BY ALIENS (dir. Mu Wang, ca. 20 min) – On the night of the Ghost Festival, 18-year-old Ming encounters surreal beings and discovers her true identity.
- NON-LIEUX (dir. Adrian Sagolla, Marius Schwingel, Diana Westphal*) – Undercover as pest controllers, Marianne and Charlotte take on assignments where official institutions fail. A final job leads them into the apartment of a seemingly harmless teacher, triggering events that spiral out of control. This film was developed in a Baden-Württemberg Stiftung-supported exchange programme with the Paris-based film school La Fémis.
Feature Film Competition:
The alumni feature film WOVON SOLLEN WIR TRÄUMEN (dir. Milena Aboyan & Constantin Hatz) competes in the feature film category. Also, screenplay alumna Madeleine Hartung will present her feature film debut, RUN ME WILD, in this section.
Alumni Films and Other Productions
In addition, the Filmakademie is prominently represented with numerous alumni films. Leading the lineup is Joscha Bongard* with his latest graduation film BABYSTAR, which will be screened in the “Watchlist” section highlighting outstanding German-language emerging filmmakers. Other alumni contributions include WHITE SNAIL directed by Elsa Kremser & Levin Peter (Watchlist), SCHLECHTE MENSCHEN directed by Nathalie Lamb (MOP Series), and DAEMONICON directed by Florian Reiter (MOP Series).
A highlight of the festival is the opening film SIE GLAUBEN AN ENGEL, HERR DROWAK? by FABW alumnus Nicolas Steiner, which tells a poetic story of loneliness, alcoholism, and the search for hope. Steiner had previously competed at the festival in 2015 with his critically acclaimed graduation film ABOVE AND BELOW.
Alumni films are also featured in other festival programs: the KURZ.FILM.TOUR presents DETLEV (dir. Ferdinand Ehrhardt), AT HOME I FEEL LIKE LEAVING (dir. Simon Maria Kubiena*), and MAJINI (dir. Joshua Neubert & Victor Muhagachi).
Ferdinand Ehrhardt is also represented in the Fantasy Filmfest guest program with DETLEV, alongside David Sick with COOKEDFELLAS. The section concludes with the premiere of the SR Tatort DAS BÖSE IN DIR by alumna Luzie Loose.
Finally, the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris programme will present its latest German-French short film series, created in collaboration with La Fémis, ARTE, and SWR. This year’s theme is "LUCKY BREAK". The Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris is a one-year postgraduate programme focused on film production, financing, distribution, and marketing for European filmmakers, conducted at La Fémis and FABW.
For over 40 years, the Max Ophüls Preis has been dedicated to showcasing and promoting emerging German-language filmmakers. This year, artistic director Svenja Böttger and programme director Theresa Winkler will present a total of 57 films across four competition categories, including 38 world premieres. The entire festival program features 146 contributions and is now available on the official website.
*Joscha Bongard, Simon Maria Kubiena, Adrian Sagolla, Paul Sonntag, Marius Schwingel, Diana Westphal and Nathalie Lamb are scholars oft he foundation Baden-Württemberg Stiftung and participated in an international partner programme during their studies at the Filmakademie.