Blog: Film festivals

From April 22 to 25, 2026, the 55th 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 make 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 2026: What's left?

The motto of the Sehsüchte film festival in 2025 is beyond. The motto is intended to emphasize the diverse and profound aspects of the festival that go beyond the ordinary and connect both the past and the future of filmmaking. beyond embodies the idea of building a bridge between nostalgic elements and modern innovations.The focus is on the synergies that arise when different generations and perspectives, young filmmakers and industry experts, come into contact and learn from each other. beyond reflects the diversity of stories that are to be told at Sehsüchte. In an increasingly polarized social climate, we position ourselves as willing to listen to all voices and remain open. Regardless of origin, financial means, level of education, gender and our other differences, we want to offer everyone a chance for a platform. We want to think our festival beyond boxes, borders and barriers.With beyond, we invite our audience to broaden their own horizons and explore new ideas and concepts. The aim is to overcome cultural, geographical and ideological boundaries in order to create a platform for a diverse narrative.


Sections
● Fiction Film
● Documentary
● Engaged Film
● Focus: Animation
● Future: Kids
● Future: Teens
● Virtual Reality
● Exhibition - Beyond the Screen
● Schreibsüchte (Script)
● Retrospective
● Showcase
● Genre Film