Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival
16 Nov 2026
Call for entries
03 Jan 2027
Final deadline
31 Mar 2027
Notification date
21 Apr 2027
25 Apr 2027
Festival start: 21 April 2027 Festival end: 25 April 2027
From April 21 to 25, 2027, the 56th edition of the Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival, one of Europe's largest festivals for up-and-coming filmmakers, will take place in Potsdam. It offers up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world a platform to present their work to a wide audience and build contacts in the industry.
Started in the 1970s as a GDR film festival for young filmmakers, Sehsüchte has established itself over the decades as an internationally important film festival and has become an integral part of Berlin and Brandenburg's cultural landscape.
Sehsüchte sees itself as a place of encounter and creation, as an event of cultural diversity and a celebration of cinema, today and tomorrow. The organization and implementation of the festival is entirely in the hands of students from the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. This enables a dynamic exchange between young talents, media makers and researchers.
Motto 2027: Who Told You That?
Society is shaped by the stories we tell and the stories we choose to listen to.
For the 56th edition of Sehsüchte, we want to challenge the regressive narratives that have once again grown louder, as well as rigid notions of society and self. Who gets to decide how we are supposed to imagine living together?
Every social order, every norm, and every idea of how we want to live has been told - and can be told anew. Who Told You That? urges to reflect on the status quo. At the same time, it is an encouragement to question, to listen, and to give space to alternative perspectives and new visions of a diverse and solidaristic community.
For us, Sehsüchte as a festival space means taking the power of stories seriously. It means bringing the diversity of perspectives that films offer to life through cinema, music, talks, and workshops. Because our world is what we make of it - what we dare to imagine and hope for.
Sections:
● Main Programme: Fiction Film, Documentary Film, Animation, Experimental Film
● Focus: Film Music
● Future: Kids
● Future: Teens
● Music Video
● Schreibsüchte (Script)
● Schreibsüchte (Pitch)
● Retrospective
● Exhibition
● Virtual Reality
● Showcases and Specials
Targeted submissions to special sections such as Future (Kids & Teens), Focus Film Music, Music Videos, and others are possible and encouraged. All submissions in the Documentary, Fiction, Animation, and Experimental Film categories will be considered for selection in the festival’s main programme.
For any questions, please contact programme@sehsuechte.de
Cash Prizes: 35,000€
Awards
● Best International Feature Film
● Best German Feature Film
● Best International Documentary
● Best German Documentary
● Best Animated Film
● Best Production with Focus on Film Music
● Best Kid's Film
● Best Teen Film
● Best Music Video
● Best Screenplay
● Best Pitch
The following eligibility criteria apply to all sections and all submitted projects:
1. Educational and Debut Context
Projects must have been realized as part of a degree programme, vocational training, or as a debut work. For the Music Video section, if the director is neither enrolled in a degree programme nor undergoing vocational training, they must be 28 years old or younger.
2. Self-Taught Filmmakers
For self-taught filmmakers, only their first three completed works are eligible for submission.
3. Production date
The works must have been completed in 2026 or 2027. Works completed prior to 2026 are not eligible for submission. Exceptions apply to the VR, Exhibition, and Schreibsüchte sections.
4. Premiere Status
A specific premiere status (e.g. world, European, or German premiere) is not required for eligibility.
5. Previous Participation in Sehsüchte
The submitted work must not have been screened previously as part of the Sehsüchte Festival.
6. Excluded Formats
Image films, promotional films, and similar formats are excluded from participation.
7. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the production of the submitted project must be declared during the submission process. Applicants are required to provide a detailed disclosure specifying which aspects of the project involved AI, which AI tools or systems were used, and to what extent they were employed.
Please make sure to read the additional regulations for the specific section you are submitting to. These can be found on our website.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Future section is aimed at a young audience, with the Teens section catering to children aged 12 and above. Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, and hybrid films are all welcome.
Contact: future@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Future section is aimed at a young audience, with the Kids section catering to children aged 6 and above. Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, and hybrid films are all welcome.
Contact: future@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
For German Screenplays only.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
For German exposés only.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Exhibition section showcases innovative works in the field of Digital Media Art, as well as audiovisual, interactive, and technology-based artworks. At its core is the intersection of art and technology, exploring how digital and technological tools can be integrated into artistic works.
The Exhibition section is divided into three categories:
● Projection Mapping
● Exhibition – Multimedia Experiences
● Live Performance
To apply, the registration form available on our website must be completed and submitted together with the application by email to exhibition@sehsuechte.de no later than January 20, 2027.
Detailed descriptions of the individual categories can be found on our website and in the submission guidelines.
Contact: exhibition@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Virtual Reality section is open to Virtual Reality (VR) projects with a runtime of at least two minutes. Selected VR projects will be exhibited and made accessible to visitors in a dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) Space during the festival.
Eligible formats include:
● 360° Filme
● Cineastische VR Experiences
● Interaktive VR Experiences
● Augmented Reality Experiences
To apply, the registration form available on our website must be completed and sent by email to virtualreality@sehsuechte.de by January 24, 2027.
Please make sure to check the specific regulations for this section before submitting. These can also be found on our website.
Contact: virtualreality@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Music Video section showcases audiovisual works that translate a piece of music into a cinematic experience. lAll genres welcome. Music videos with a maximum runtime of 15 minutes are eligible for submission.
If the music video was not produced in the context of a university degree or vocational training programme, the director must be 28 years old or younger.
Contact: musicvideo@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
This category is suitable for films created primarily using animation techniques. Hybrid formats are also welcome.
Contact: programme@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
This section is dedicated to films that deliberately challenge traditional storytelling, genre, cinematic forms, and viewing conventions.
Contact: programme@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
The Focus on Film Music section highlights films that engage with film music in a distinctive way, either on a formal or thematic level.
Contact: focus@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
This category is suitable for films with predominantly fictional content.
Contact: programme@sehsuechte.de
No Fee
Submissions deadline
03 Jan 27
This category is suitable for films with predominantly documentary content. Hybrid formats, such as animated or experimental documentaries, are also welcome.
Contact: programme@sehsuechte.de
