Accreditation
Our accreditation form is available for download under the following link.
Please address press enquiries to:
Münster Film Festival
Kerstin Stienemann
Phone +49 178 68 66 854
presse@filmfestival-muenster.de
Carsten Happe
Phone +49 251 230 36 09 (Festival office)
happe@filmfestival-muenster.de
Press Release
2 September 2025
Film Festival Münster 2025:
The programme
The 21st Münster Film Festival will take place from 19 to 28 September 2025 at the Schloßtheater Münster. The oldest competition festival in Westphalia shows current film art from the region, Germany and the whole of Europe – with a strong focus on young talent.
The programme focuses on a European feature film competition for debut films, a European short film competition with audience voting and the Westfalen Connection with films from the region. There is also a country focus, unique in Germany, with films from the Netherlands and industry events with panel talks and pitching sessions for young filmmakers.
In addition to the German premiere of “Alpha.” at the festival opening, the film “Flame” by Daphne Lucker is another Dutch production being shown in Germany for the first time. The mother-daughter drama starring Thekla Reuten and Sophie Lindner is one of eight European directorial debuts in the feature film competition. The Irish film “Christy”, which won the award for best film in the Generation section at this year’s Berlinale, is also taking part. The coming-of-age story about family ties, belonging and second chances is the first feature film by Brendan Canty, who made a name for himself with the music video for Hozier’s “Take Me To Church”, among others. With the competition entry “The Kingdom”, director Julien Colonna tells his own story from the innermost circle of organised crime in Corsica in the nineties. The intimate portrait of a special father-daughter relationship is also a precise depiction of conflicts, some of which continue to the present day and continue to characterise life in Corsica.
The short film competition features 36 films from 15 countries. The selection includes the winner of the German Short Film Award, “Fire Drill” by Maximilian Villwock, Cannes participants such as the Belgian historical spectacle “Loynes” by Dorian Jespers and the Estonian stop-motion animation “On Weary Wings Go By” by Anu-Laura Tuttelberg, which won festival awards in Leipzig, Amsterdam and Brussels after its premiere in Locarno. The experimental essay film “Magdalena Hausen – Die gefrorene Zeit”, a Greek-German co-production with the voice of Hanna Schygulla, celebrates its German premiere at the Münster Film Festival.
For the sixth time, the Westfalen Connection section is all about films from the region or filmmakers who are connected to Westphalia in very different ways. Several films are celebrating their festival premieres, including the directorial debut “Und was ist mit uns?” by actress Michelle Barthel, who was a guest jury member at the Münster Film Festival two years ago, and the film “Der Moment in dem ich dich ins Herz schloss” by Mustafa Khalaf.
Dutch films have been an integral part of the Münster Film Festival since 1999. This year, the selection of current films from the neighbouring country runs through the other festival sections: Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s mountain drama “Alpha.” at the start, Daphne Lucker’s directorial debut “Flame” in the feature film competition, as well as “Skunk”, the new film by “Ex Drummer” director Koen Mortier, in the late programme. Also in the programme: the poetic and touching documentary “Where Dragons Live” by Suzanne Raes.
This year’s Nightwatch section is dedicated to the early work of a US-American indie director who has been celebrated by his fan community for many years: Gregg Araki. His legendary “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy” with the films “Totally Fucked Up” (1993), “The Doom Generation” (1995) and “Nowhere” (1997) will be shown in three late screenings at the festival.
Two industry days for film will be held in Westphalia on 26 and 27 September: Friday will be dedicated to pitching. In the first session, up-and-coming filmmakers from the region will present their current material to a jury of experts, while the second session will showcase treatment material that is being further developed as part of the Filmwerkstatt Münster screenplay class. On Saturday, together with Kinofest Lünen and Filmbüro NW, a panel will be organised for up-and-coming filmmakers from the region with the title: “Filmnachwuchs im Finanzierungsdilemma – Wege aus der precarären Förderung” will take place and will be followed by a masterclass with Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay and Claus Herzog-Reichel from the Cologne production company filmfaust, whose two current films, “Hysteria” by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay and “Sirens Call” by Miri Ian Gossing & Lina Sieckmann premiered at this year’s Berlinale.
All information at filmfestival-muenster.de.