Blog: Film festivals

The 54th edition of the Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival, one of the biggest film festivals for young filmmakers in Europe, will take place from 23rd April to 27th of April 2025 in Potsdam. It offers up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world a platform to present their works to a broad audience and come into contact with the industry. Founded in the 1970s as a showcase for young filmmakers in the GDR, Sehsüchte has established itself over the decades as an internationally important festival and has become an integral part of the Berlin and Brandenburg cultural landscape.

Sehsüchte sees itself as a place of encounter and creativity, as an event of cultural diversity and a celebration of cinema, today as well as tomorrow. The festival is planned, organized and implemented entirely by students of the Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. The direct connection to the renowned film university enables a unique exchange between young talents, media practice and academia.

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.


Our programme offers local and international artists a screen, allows us to experience (un)known perspectives through a variety of cinematic-aesthetic forms of expression, and promotes discourse between underrepresented and established film regions.
With a festival campus centered in the "Schiffbauergasse", Sehsüchte opens up a space for networking and discussion between students and industry experts. We see ourselves as a young festival with a clear stance: only through an honest exchange at eye level can the industry's challenges be overcome, an awareness of ecological and social resources be created and, above all, an open culture of film be shaped. Let us embrace the current transformation and actively shape the resulting potential, the future of film.

Sections
Feature Film
Documentary Film
Engaged Film
Focus: Animation
Future: Kids
Future: Teens
360°
Exhibition – Resonant Realities
Schreibsüchte
Retrospective
Showcase
Genre Film