At an initial meeting in Kassel, Germany on July 4, 2019, more than 60 German film festivals came together and founded a film festival 'task force'.
In July 2024, the AG Filmfestival - Association of Film Festivals in Germany emerged from this initial network. The founding members include the largest and oldest film festivals in Germany, and festivals from all regions and sectors.
The aim of the AG Filmfestival association is to network with each other, to create better conditions for film festivals in Germany and, together with filmmakers and other associations, to strengthen and promote film culture. Together and in their diversity, film festivals see themselves as part of the creative industry as well as the cultural practice of cinema and its mediation. Film festivals stand for a diverse engagement with film in its most varied facets. In Germany, they represent a form of exploitation of German and international films that must be taken seriously in terms of scope and impact, and their share of theatrical exploitation of these productions will continue to increase in the coming years. In contrast to the often dwindling number of cinemagoers, especially in rural areas, film festivals are also experiencing a steady increase in demand there. Festivals are committed to a pluralistic and open society and speak out against any form of discrimination. Diversity should be taken into account in all areas of film festivals.
The 49 founding members of AG Filmfestival
20minmax Internationales Kurzfilmfestival Ingolstadt
achtung berlin – new berlin film award
AFRIKAMERA – Zeitgenössisches Kino aus Afrika
Braunschweig International Film Festival
CINEMARE Internationales Meeresfilmfestival Kiel
Darßer NaturfilmFestival – Verleihung Deutscher NaturfilmPreis
die Seriale – International Series Festival Giessen
DOK Leipzig
DOK.fest München
dokKa – das Dokumentarfestival
Edimotion – Festival für Filmschnitt und Montagekunst
Equinale
European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück
exground filmfest
fantasy filmfest
FILMFEST DRESDEN – International Short Film Festival
FILMFEST HAMBURG
FILMFEST MÜNCHEN
Filmfest Oberursel
Filmfest Osnabrück – Festival des unabhängigen Films
Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis
Filmkunstwochen München
Französische Filmtage Tübingen | Stuttgart
goEast – Festival des mittel- und osteuropäischen Films
HARD:LINE Film Festival
INDEPENDENT DAYS|Internationale Filmfestspiele Karlsruhe
International Short Film Festival Detmold
Internationale Hofer Filmtage
Internationale Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg
Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg
Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
Internationales Frauenfilmfestival Dortmund / Köln
Internationales Nürnberger Filmfestival der Menschenrechte
Kasseler Dokumentarfilm- und Videofest
Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg
Landshuter Kurzfilmfestival
LICHTER Filmfest Frankfurt International
Neiße Filmfestival
Nonfiktionale – Festival des dokumentarischen Films Bad Aibling
Open Air Filmfest Weiterstadt
Ökofilmtour – Brandenburgisches Festival des Umwelt- und Naturfilms
QUEER Filmfest Weiterstadt
RANDFILMFEST
Remake. Frankfurter Frauen Film Tage
SCHLINGEL – Internationales Filmfestival für Kinder und junges Publikum
Soundwatch Music Film Festival Berlin
Stuttgarter Filmwinter – Festival for Expanded Media
TeleVisionale – Film- und Serienfestival Baden-Baden
Werkstatt der Jungen Filmszene