The 22nd edition of the FREIBURGER FILMFORUM — FESTIVAL OF TRANSCULTURAL CINEMA will take place from May 4 to 9, 2027. To submit your student or debut films for this upcoming edition, keep an eye out for our call for entries in summer 2026!

ABOUT THE STUDENTS' PLATFORM

Since 1985, the forum has been dedicated to screening films that sensitively portray current, historical, socio-political, and cultural phenomena. Established in 2015, the Students’ Platform emerged as a parallel program that engages with the lived realities and experiences of young and emerging filmmakers that are developing experimental, and socio-politically engaged cinema practices.

The Students’ Platform invites works from student and debut filmmakers, media artists, and visual anthropologists from across the world, with the aim of foregrounding the diversity, creativity, and critical engagement of the next generation of filmmakers. Rather than functioning as a competition, the Students’ Platform exists as a forum for dialogue, reflection, and exchange. Screenings are accompanied by in-depth discussions where filmmakers engage with audiences, practitioners, researchers, and fellow artists.

Our understanding of a “student” extends beyond institutional frameworks. We consider studentship as a position of learning, unlearning, experimentation, and risk-taking. Anyone who considers themselves a student of cinema, regardless of background or age, is welcome to submit.

The Debut section considers the first feature-length film made by a filmmaker. Through the coexistence of student films and debut features, the Students’ Platform hopes to foster conversations around long-term artistic and cinematic engagement, evolving practices, and the challenges of sustained filmmaking.

We welcome works that critically and creatively respond to the complexities of our world through diverse cinematic forms, anthropological inquiries, personal narratives, collective practices, and formal experimentation.

Awards & Prizes

The festival fosters a workshop-like atmosphere rather than a competitive environment. There are no awards or prizes.

Please note that the festival does not pay a screening fee for student and debut films.

Rules & Terms

Please make sure to read our Rules & Terms carefully before submitting your work.

• Eligibility: Only works produced/released after October 15, 2024, are eligible.

• Film Types: We welcome films of all duration (short to feature-length) and forms, with a focus on anthropologically-informed approaches, methodologies, and practices. These may include nonfiction, fiction, experimental, animation, hybrid, and essay films. Advertisements, promotional content, and PSAs will not be considered.

• Category Specification: All feature-length films (60-minute and above) will only be considered in the Debut category.

• Language & Subtitles: Films may be in any language but must include English subtitles.

• Multimodal Works: We also welcome installations, expanded cinema, AR/VR/360 works, performances, and other moving-image practices beyond a single-screen format.

• Fee Waivers: If you are a student, a filmmaker from the Global Majority/Global South community, and/or someone facing financial limitations, please email us with a synopsis and trailer/screener link of your film. We will review your request and share a fee waiver code where possible.

Contact: students@freiburger-filmforum.de

Disclaimers:

• We do not tolerate sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, islamophobic, antisemitic, ableist, or otherwise hateful and dehumanising narratives.

• Filmmakers are responsible for securing all necessary rights for music, archival material, images, and any other copyright material used in their films. Selected filmmakers may be asked to provide a declaration regarding rights and permissions.

• The festival reserves the right to screen selected films during the festival and associated events.

We look forward to welcoming filmmakers, artists, researchers, and audiences to Freiburg and our partner venues, and to collectively engaging with the urgent, fragile, and transformative possibilities of cinema today.
10 Reviews
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  • AYON SAIKIA

    What stood out to me the most was the honesty in the air. The films, the people, the conversations they carried something raw and unpolished, something deeply human. Some of the films I watched stirred something new in me, offering glimpses into lives and geographies I hadn’t encountered before. That, I believe, is one of the quiet powers of festivals like FIFO. They remind you that stories aren’t just made, they're lived.

    July 2025
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  • sabah jalloul

    The festival is an open forum and has a community-driven atmosphere. Thanks to some moderators who had no tolerance to bigotry or anti-Palestinian sentiment.

    July 2025
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  • Thoufeeq K

    The team behind the Freiburg Filmforum radiates a deep love for documentary. Their thoughtful curation and the care they give to each film make the festival feel intimate and alive. On top of that, the crew was wonderful, always kind and helpful throughout the festival. It was a real pleasure to be part of it.

    July 2025
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  • Gioia Film

    Thank you for including WHERE ARE YOU, SAMUEL? by Samuele Leogrande in your festival!

    June 2025
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  • Adam Paaske

    Last year, my short film 'Leisure Time - A Summer’s Day' was part of the official selection of the 20th Freiburger Filmforum - Festival of Transcultural Cinema. It was a very special experience, because although I have participated in many film festivals, in Freiburger Filmforum I found what I had been longing for: a community of people who were not
    exclusively into anthropology or exclusively into cinema, but into both at the same time. During the festival, I both watched great ethnographic films and attended exciting workshops on various themes in multimodal anthropology - and met a lot of wonderful people from around the world. Thank you so much, Freiburg, and hopefully: see you soon.

    July 2024
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