Strong festival summer for female filmmakers from Hamburg

25.07.2019 | "Pelican Blood" in Venice and Toronto

The successful team behind "Tore tanzt" is back: with their new drama "Pelikanblut", which is being shown at the renowned Venice and Toronto film festivals, the Hamburg team led by Director Katrin Gebbe and Executive Producer Verena Gräfe-Höft (Junafilm) have made a successful start to the festival summer. An HFBK film has also made it to Venice.

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Zehn Personen stehen vor einem Gebäude und lächeln in die Kamera.

NEST Space Funding Decision

This October, ten Script Writers gathered at the ‘NEST Space’ on the Baltic Sea to work on their ideas for TV series and films.

Viele Menschen stehen auf einem Boot und schauen zu einer Brücke hinauf

Seven new projects have received funding

German-Turkish Co-Production Development Fund

The German-Turkish Co-Production Development Fund, run by Medienboard, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and Meetings on the Bridge – the co-production platform of the Istanbul Film Festival – is funding seven film projects being developed in collaboration between German and Turkish production companies.

Eine junge Frau sitzt auf einem Bett und schreibt auf ihren Gips.

Interview with a ghost

“Those Who Whistle After Dark” at FilmFest Hamburg

Father, mother, daughter, ghosts: That’s the simple formula behind Pınar Yorgancıoğlu’s feature debut “Those Who Whistle After Dark”. The black comedy celebrated its world premiere at the Goa International Film Festival 2025 and will have its German premiere at FilmFest Hamburg on 1 October. What does the film have to do with Hamburg? And how do you come up with a rather different kind of ghost story? Read on to find out.

Ein Mädchen und eine Frau sitzen vor einem Spiegel - die Frau hält ein Handy hoch und macht ein Foto.

A festival hit in 17 days of filming

Cinema release of ‘Ghost School’

With Ghost School, filmmaker Seemab Gul has created a true cinematic gem. The drama follows ten-year-old Rabia, who sets out to discover why her school has suddenly been closed. So far, the film has screened at over 30 festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and the Toronto International Film Festival. Shot in Pakistan in just 17 days, the production was an ambitious undertaking. In an interview, Gul and Hamburg-based cinematographer Zamarin Wahdat spoke to us about the challenges of filming under such conditions—and why “Ghost School” will, for the time being, not be released in Pakistani cinemas.

Eine Frau steht an einem Rednerpult und schaut hinter sich auf eine Leinwand.

Initial OMNI figures highlight diversity within the sector

New report on diversity in the German film and television industry

The new survey tool, OMNI Inclusion Data, has been measuring diversity on German film sets since early 2025. Initial trends can now be identified from the recently published OMNI report: according to the survey, the gender balance in the TV and film industry is virtually even. By contrast, people with disabilities or a migrant background are significantly under-represented compared with the national average.

22 x MOIN at the Filmfest Hamburg 2026

From Fatih Akin to Doris Dörrie

The 34th Filmfest Hamburg will be taking place from 24 September to 3 October. A total of 22 productions supported by MOIN are featured in this year’s festival programme. And there’s plenty of Hamburg to be found: Fatih Akin’s poetic drama *Geister*, Doris Dörrie’s tragicomedy *Frau Winkler verlässt das Haus* – filmed in Hamburg – and *Sternbrücke Forever*, the new Documentary by Christian Hornung, Director of *Manche hatten Krokodile*.