Filmz Festival in Mainz Marks 25th Anniversary with Two-Week German Cinema Program
From November 2 to 15, Mainz will host the 25th Filmz – Festival des deutschen Kinos, showcasing 120 films from German and German-language cinema. All films in competition and documentaries will be screened twice at the Capitol and CinéMayence. Attendees will serve as jurors in eight categories, with Q&A sessions scheduled after each screening. A special program for the festival's 2026 anniversary will feature five dates dedicated to German-Lebanese co-productions and a symposium titled "Film als antifaschistische Praxis – Demokratie und Widerstand." Additionally, a new children's and youth program will include school screenings, a short film presentation, and a workshop. The festival kicks off with "Drei Kameradinnen" by Milena Aboyan on November 2, and tickets can be purchased online.
Key facts
- Filmz – Festival des deutschen Kinos celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026
- The festival runs from 2 to 15 November over two weeks in Mainz
- It is the first feature-length film festival in Rheinland-Pfalz
- 120 current German and German-language films are screened
- Feature-length competition films and full-length documentaries are shown twice, at the Capitol and the CinéMayence
- Audiences vote as jurors across eight competitions: feature-length, medium-length, short film and documentary
- The opening film on 2 November is "Drei Kameradinnen" by Milena Aboyan
- A 2026 anniversary program features five dates on German-Lebanese co-productions with a symposium titled "Film als antifaschistische Praxis – Demokratie und Widerstand"
- A children's and youth program debuts with school screenings, a short film show and an interactive workshop
- The festival center FILMZimmer is located in the Walpodenakademie
Entities
Artists
- Milena Aboyan
- Volker Sievert
- Paula Pugnat
- Saya
- Kasia
- Hani
Institutions
- Filmz – Festival des deutschen Kinos
- Capitol
- CinéMayence
- Walpodenakademie
- Die Film GmbH West
- kulturnews.de
Locations
- Mainz
- Germany
- Rheinland-Pfalz
- Lebanon