CINEMARE Internationales Meeresfilmfestival Kiel ist Nordeuropas größtes Meeresfilmfestival und findet jedes Jahr im Frühjahr in Kiel statt. CINEMARE bringt die Ozeane an Land und auf die Kinoleinwand. Das Festival ist offen für Filme aller Längen und Genres, die, am, unter oder auf dem Meer bzw. an der Küste spielen und sich im Spannungsfeld zwischen Meeresschutz, Wissenschaftskommunikation und Filmkunst bewegen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen abendfüllende Dokumentarfilme sowie animierte und gespielte Kurzfilme, die ihren Fokus auf die Berührungspunkte von Mensch und Meer legen.
CINEMARE möchte die Aufmerksamkeit für und die Liebe zum Meer fördern und dazu einladen, sich zu seinem Schutz zu engagieren. CINEMARE ist offizieller Netzwerkpartner des deutschen Ozeandekaden Komitees sowie Mitglied im Green Film Network GFN, in den Arbeitsgemeinschaften AG Filmfestival und AG Dokumentarfilm sowie im Bundesverband Deutscher Kurzfilm.
CINEMARE arbeitet sehr eng zusammen mit dem IOFF International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco und dem Brest Surf Film Festival in der Bretagne.

CINEMARE International Ocean Film Festival Kiel is Europes biggest annual ocean film festival taking place in Kiel, the capital of Germany's most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein in spring. CINEMARE welcomes ocean themed films from all genres and of all lengths, focusing on topics under, on, or by the sea. A strong emphasis is put on ocean conservation, science communication, exploration and maritime adventure. By bringing the oceans on land and onto the cinema screens, the festival aims to increase awareness of and love for the blue in our blue planet in all its facets. CINEMARE views itself as a platform to get involved. CINEMARE is a network partner of the German Ocean Decade Committee (ODK), which aims to raise awareness of the UN Decade of Marine Research for Sustainable Development in Germany and support its implementation.
CINEMARE is a member of the international Green Film Network GFN, the German Film Festival Association AG Filmfestival, the German Documentary Film Association AG Dok, the German Short Film Association, and the International Short Film Conference.
CINEMARE is an official partner of the IOFF International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco and the Brest Surf Film Festival.

Awards & Prizes

Unabhängige Jurys aus Wissenschaftler*innen, Filmemacher*innen und Kulturschaffenden verleihen den Deutschen Meeresfilmpreis sowie Preise in den folgenden Sektionen:
- Meereschutz
- Wissenschaftskommunikation
- Engagement für die Meere
- Wassersport
- Kurzfilm
Das Publilum vergibt einen Kurzfimpreis.

Independent Juries, comprised of filmmakers, scientists, and personalities from the culture sector give out the German Ocean Film Award, as well as awards in the following sections:
- Ocean Conservation
- Science Communication
- Ocean Stewardship
- Wind an Waves
- Short Film
The audience awards a short film.

Rules & Terms

Filme können in jeder Sprache eingereicht werden. Filme, die nicht auf deutsch oder englisch sind, müssen deutsche oder englische Untertitel haben.
Mit dem Einreichen eines FIlmes beim CINEMARE Internationales Meeresfilmfestival Kiel, gewähren die Rechteinhaber*innen dem Festival das Recht, Photos, Filmstills und Filmausschnitte bis zu einer Länge von 59 Sekunden in Printmedien, online, in Funk und Fernsehen zu verwenden, so lange diese ausschliesslich der Bewerbung des Festivals dienen.
Die Entscheidung wann und wie oft und in welchem Kino ein Film innerhalb des Festivals gezeigt wird, liegt beim Festival. Das Festival zahlt keine Aufführungsgebühren für Filme im Wettbewerb.

Films may be submitted in any language. Films submitted in a language other than either German or English, must have English and / or German subtitles.
By submitting your film to the International Ocean Film Festival Kiel you grant the festival permission to use photos, film stills, and excerpts of up to 59 seconds of your film to promote the festival online, in print media, TV, radio, and cinemas.
The festival reserves the right to decide at which cinema, at what time, and how often your film is screened during the actual 6 days of festival. Usually this means one screening per film. Any screening will always be discussed with you first. The festival doesn't offer screening fees for films in competition. The festival asks for territorial exclusivity (screening territory protection) for the Kiel region (Schleswig-Holstein) up to May 2026.
15 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • joaquin azulay

    Endless thanks to the entire CineMare team! Great organization and amazing experience! So happy and grateful to have been a part of it. Cheers to the next one!

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Melle Windig

    We had such a great time being part of this Festival. To contribute to spreading awareness on ocean conservation while doing what we do best: making the audience laugh and feel warm inside with our short stop motion animation Cell Buddies, is what makes it truly special. We will forever keep our memories of the landgang open air screening and of course winning the audience award at the short film evening. The organisation was so welcoming and helpful. So to all filmmakers, put an ocean element in your film and give it a shot here. You will not regret the kino sauna and jump in the sea afterwards.

    May 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Dear Melle,
    it was such a pleasure hosting you and your family at our festival! Please keep featuring small elements of the ocean in your work!
    Best wishes from Kiel!

  • Jonas Nellissen

    We had a great time with this beautiful Festival! The team is so friendly and welcoming and the curation is really interesting, diverse and raises awareness. Good job! Hopefully we will be back one day! Thanks for having us!

    May 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Dear Jonas.
    we are glad to hear you had a good time and got to connect with other filmmakers' work!
    Please don't hesitate to send us your future work!
    Best wishes from Kiel!

  • Festival Formula

    A really focused festival on the importance of ocean conservation in all its guises, and a unique programme that is not limited to documentary but welcomes narratives that explore water in different ways. In their 2025 edition we were fortunate to have our client AUTOPHAGY screen.

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • Betina Kuntzsch

    A beautiful festival focussing on environmental protection and marine conservation. The festival is supported by many dedicated volunteers. It's beautiful on the Kieler Förde, with open-air cinemas and other venues. My film was shown at the Landgang, a night-time cinema walk through the city, where short films were projected onto the walls of buildings. A great initiative, it was a lot of fun!

    May 2025
    Helpful