1. SELF-IMAGE
The Emden-Norderney International Film Festival is an independent festival for German and international European feature films, documentaries and short films. The programme focuses on north-western European and German-language productions and co-productions. In addition, since 2024, a small number of films from our new partner region, Atlantic Canada, have been included.
With its programme, the festival aims to present a variety of cinematic forms of expression, strengthen interest in European film culture and promote understanding of coexistence at European, national and regional level with committed contributions on social, societal, political and cultural topics. Against this backdrop, the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival also aims to showcase the region and the media location of Lower Saxony-Bremen with appropriate audiovisual productions.
The films are selected after screening by a selection committee. The decision on invitations and allocation within the programme is made by the respective section management in agreement with the festival management, which also determines the screening dates.
2. COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS
2.1. FILM COMPETITIONS
The festival programme focuses on competitions for European, predominantly North-Western European and German-language feature films, documentaries and short films, as well as films from our partner region Atlantic Canada. Preference is given to films that have significant involvement from at least one of the following countries:
Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Canada.
As the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival sees itself as a public festival, the film competitions – with the exception of the ‘Creative Energy Film Award’ and the ‘Norderney Angel – Integration Award of the Island of Norderney’ (jury awards) – are decided by the audience.
Non-German-language competition films are usually shown in their original language with German subtitles. In exceptional cases, a German-dubbed version or English subtitles may be used.
A total of up to 20 films will be included in the competition sections for feature films (minimum length: 65 minutes). Competition invitations and nominations for individual film awards are made by the festival management. Nominations can be made for a maximum of two of the competitions decided by the audience. A nomination for the Creative Energy Award is independent of this.
The films competing for the East Frisian Short Film Award and the Engelke Short Film Award of Sparkasse Emden are each compiled to fill the programme. Invitations are issued by the short film section management in consultation with the festival management.
Competition films are evaluated by the audience using voting cards. The voting cards in the feature film competition contain information about the respective nomination(s).
2.2. AWARDS
The film prizes decided by the audience go to the respective director. In justified exceptional cases, the festival management may make a different decision.
2.2.1. SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize – International Main Competition
The SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize is awarded annually to the three feature films in the competition that have been rated highest by the audience. The prize is named in memory of the great director Bernhard Wicki (1919-2000). The festival thus honours his services to German cinema and to the development of the Emden Festival between 1990 and 1999. The SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize is endowed with a total of €15,000.00 (1st place: €10,000.00, 2nd place: €3,000.00, 3rd place: €2,000) and is funded by SCORE GmbH Emden.
2.2.2. Special prizes
The festival management may nominate competition films for special prizes if the applicable criteria are met. Special prizes are:
DGB Film Award
for a feature film or documentary that demonstrates a particular commitment to social issues. These include topics such as work, equality, migration and integration, health, and other serious social problems. The DGB Film Award is endowed with €7,000 and is sponsored by the German Trade Union Confederation, Lower Saxony – Bremen – Saxony-Anhalt district.
Focus Future Award
for an international feature film or documentary that deals in a special way with current ecological, digital and technical challenges, visions and utopias and stimulates discussion about shaping the future. The Focus Future Award is endowed with €5,000.00 and is sponsored by Ökorenta Invest GmbH Aurich.
Wolfgang Petersen Film Prize
for an international debut or second film. The prize is named in memory of the internationally successful director and Emden native Wolfgang Petersen (1942-2023). The prize is endowed with €5,000.00 and is sponsored by the City of Emden and Stadtwerke Emden GmbH.
NDR Film Prize for Young Talent
for a first or second feature-length German film. Previous documentaries or short films are not taken into account. The NDR Film Prize for Young Talent is endowed with €5,000.00 and is funded by Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Landesfunkhaus Niedersachsen.
2.2.3. Short film awards
The festival holds the following competitions in the short film category:
VGH East Frisian Short Film Award
The award goes to the three short films with a length of up to 15 minutes that receive the highest ratings from the audience among the productions nominated for this competition. The East Frisian Short Film Award is endowed with €4,000.00 (1st place: €2,500.00, 2nd place: €1,000.00, 3rd place: €500.00) and is sponsored by VGH Insurance, Emden Regional Office.
Engelke Short Film Award from Sparkasse Emden
The award is for a German-language short film with a length of between 15 and 30 minutes. The short films are nominated by an independent viewing and nomination committee appointed by the short film section management, consisting of school pupils, trainees and young adults. The Engelke Short Film Award is endowed with €2,500.00 and is funded by Sparkasse Emden.
2.2.4. Emden Screenplay Award
The competition for the Emden Screenplay Award is open to unfilmed German-language feature film screenplays. A jury appointed in cooperation with the Grimme Institute in Marl decides on the nominations and winners. Separate rules apply to the competition for the Emden Screenplay Award. The Emden Screenplay Award is endowed with €12,000.00 (winner: €10,000.00, nominees: €1,000.00) and is sponsored by Spedition Weets GmbH Emden.
2.2.6. Creative Energy Award
Every year, the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival presents the Creative Energy Award for outstanding individual achievement in the realisation of a German or international film or TV production. In the course of compiling the programme, the film selection team makes up to five proposals for a prize winner. A jury of experts appointed by the festival decides on the award. The winner is determined in a ranking process. Attendance at the film festival is a prerequisite for receiving the award. The award is not publicly advertised. The Creative Energy Award is endowed with €5,000.00 and is sponsored by Gassco AS, German branch.
2.2.7. A desk by the sea
Every year during the festival, the island of Norderney awards one of the festival's film guests a one-week stay on the island in an apartment at Insellofts Norderney for material and project development. This award is aimed in particular at younger German-speaking filmmakers. The prize is intended to highlight and promote remarkable achievements or promising projects.
When putting together the programme, the film selection team makes up to three suggestions for a prize winner. The prize is awarded by an internal festival jury consisting of one representative each from the festival management, the festival location Norderney and the directors of the German series and the short film section. The winner is determined by a ranking process. Attendance at the film festival is a prerequisite for receiving the award. The award is not publicly advertised.
2.2.8. Norderney Angel – Integration Award of the Island of Norderney
The Norderney Angel Integration Award, presented by Staatsbad Norderney GmbH and endowed with €5,000, goes to a personality from the German film industry who, in their cinematic work, has taken an outstanding stance on the issues of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, exclusion, racism and intolerance, who stands out from the crowd in terms of theme, quality, ambition and execution, who contributes to a more complex perspective and a more nuanced opinion, and who thus sets an example for tolerance, moral courage, freedom of expression, protection of minorities, integration, diversity and the coexistence of people from different cultures or religions.
The award is decided by an internal festival jury consisting of a representative of the festival management, a representative of the festival location Norderney, and the directors of the German series and the short film section. The winner is determined in a ranking process. The award is accompanied by a screening of a film by the winner following the award ceremony. Attendance at the film festival is a prerequisite for receiving the award. The award is not publicly advertised.
3. FILM PROGRAMME (OUT OF COMPETITION)
Outside of the competitions, the festival will show:
- Films in programme series related to countries, themes, people or events,
- Highlights from European and Canadian film production,
- International cinema productions and highlights from world cinema,
- Films for children, young people and families,
- Various short film programmes related to themes, people or countries/regions.
4. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
4.1. FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
The festival management is responsible for nominating European, in particular North-Western European, Canadian and German-language feature films and documentaries for the individual competition sections on the basis of these eligibility requirements.
4.1.1. NOMINATION RESTRICTIONS
Films that have been entered in more than one competition at previous German film festivals, as well as films that are not scheduled for theatrical release, are not eligible for nomination for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize. The festival management will decide on exceptions in special cases. Only feature films can be nominated for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize, the NDR Film Prize for Young Talent, the Wolfgang Petersen Prize and the Creative Energy Award. Documentary films can be nominated for the DGB Film Prize, the Focus Future Award and the Integration Prize of the Island of Norderney – Norderneyer Engel.
4.1.2. Minimum length
Films with a total length of 65 minutes or more will be considered.
4.1.3. Completion and theatrical release
Premieres and German premieres may be given preferential consideration. If the German premiere does not take place during the festival, it must not have taken place before the previous Emden-Norderney International Film Festival. The film must not have been released in German cinemas or broadcast on German television at the time of the festival. The festival management will decide on exceptions in special cases.
4.1.4. Formats
Permitted formats for the feature film competitions: DCP, Blu-ray.
4.2. SHORT FILM COMPETITIONS
The nomination of short films for the East Frisian Short Film Award competition is the responsibility of the short film section management in consultation with the festival management.
For the competition for the Engelke Short Film Award of Sparkasse Emden, the short film section management appoints a nomination committee consisting of teenagers and young adults (school pupils, trainees).
World premieres and German premieres may be given preferential consideration. If the German premiere does not take place within the framework of the festival, it may not have taken place before the previous International Film Festival Emden-Norderney.
4.2.1. Minimum length
As a rule, the length of the nominated short films should not exceed 15 minutes (East Frisian Short Film Award) or 30 minutes (Engelke Short Film Award). In the event of minor deviations, the short film section management will decide in consultation with the festival management.
4.2.2. Formats
Permitted formats for the short film competition: DCP, Blu-ray. Other formats only on request.
4.3. ALL FILM COMPETITIONS
4.3.1. Subtitles
Non-German-language competition films are generally screened in their original language with German subtitles. If no German subtitling exists, the festival may offer to contribute to the resulting costs. In exceptional cases, screening a German-dubbed version or the use of English subtitles may be permitted. Subtitles produced with festival support may be made available to the production company or distributor after the festival for further use to promote the film’s distribution in German-speaking regions.
4.3.2. Determination of Prize Winners
The prize winners of the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Award, the DGB Film Award, the Focus Future Award, the NDR Newcomer Film Award, and the two Short Film Awards are determined by audience ballot. The audience may rate each film on the provided voting cards (1 to 5 stars) and hand in the card immediately after the screening at the exit of the auditorium.
The ratings on all valid voting cards are added together for each competition film (not per screening) and divided by the total number of cards submitted for that film, resulting in an average rating comparable to all other competition films regardless of audience size.
The film awards are presented—based on the respective nominations—to the directors of the films with the highest average audience ratings. In justified exceptional cases, festival management may take a divergent decision.
4.3.3. Attendance of Filmmakers
The festival expects the presence of potential award winners or a qualified representative from among the film’s contributors at at least one competition screening and mandatorily at the official awards ceremony on the festival’s closing Sunday. Any incurred intra-European travel expenses and hotel costs will be covered by the festival.
4.3.4. No Legal Right
There is no legal entitlement to the awarding of a prize. Claims under sections 657–661 of the German Civil Code (BGB) cannot be derived.
Legal recourse is excluded.
5. FILM SUBMISSIONS
5.1. Required Documents
Film submissions must include the fully completed submission form available on the festival’s website (www.filmfest-emden.de) and a downloadable viewing link (valid until the end of the festival). Submissions without a fully completed form will not be considered.
After an official invitation to the festival program, a short synopsis, photo, director’s short biography and filmography, stills, and—if available—press materials must be submitted. For films invited to a competition, a suitable high-resolution clip of approx. 45 seconds must also be provided free of charge, to be used for festival coverage and the awards gala.
For competition films, additional screenings are required for internal moderation and talk preparation. By submitting a film, the applicant grants permission to forward viewing links or DVDs/Blu-rays to the responsible festival staff.
5.2. Consent to Festival Participation, Screening Rights
Producers, distributors, or any organizations or individuals submitting a film confirm that any other potential rights holders also consent to the film’s participation in the festival.
For competition films that receive an award, the screening right for one additional screening (short films) or the use of a approx. 45-second clip (feature films) during the awards gala is deemed granted upon submission. Award-winning films also grant screening rights for up to two additional repeat screenings within the festival program to present the winning films.
5.3. Submission Deadline
The submission deadline for unsolicited films and documents is March 1, 2026.
Please send promotional materials (posters, flyers, etc.) only after the film has been officially invited.
5.4. No Return of Submission Materials
Due to the large number of submissions, materials cannot be returned. Six months after the festival ends, all submitted documents and viewing copies will be destroyed. A copy of the viewing material from award-winning films will remain in the festival archive.
5.5. Notification
Rejections for films not selected for that year's program are generally sent by email to the submitting address no later than three weeks before the festival begins.
6. SCREENING COPY
6.1. Print Transport
Unless otherwise agreed, the sender covers the transport costs for sending the screening copy to the festival. The festival covers the return shipping costs. Forwarding to other festivals, particularly overseas, must be agreed upon in writing in each individual case. Shipments from outside the European Union must bear the following label:
"FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL VALUE – TEMPORARY IMPORT"
6.2. Delivery Address and Deadlines, Keys (KDM)
Film copies and all promotional materials must be delivered no later than May 25, 2026 to the following address:
Filmfest Emden gGmbH – Festival Office –
An der Berufsschule 3, 26721 Emden, Germany
Screening copies and any necessary keys (KDM) for invited films should arrive no later than 10 days before the festival begins. Adequate time for testing the screening copies must be ensured.
The screening copy will be returned within two weeks after the festival ends.
6.3. Insurance
Films are insured at their print value for the entire duration of the festival. Insurance coverage applies from the time of receipt until return delivery to the sender or the return address specified by the submitter. Any damage to the film material occurring during the festival must be reported in writing within 14 days after return shipment.
7. Miscellaneous Provisions
Festival management reserves the right to decide on all cases not covered by these regulations on an individual basis and to grant exceptions in special, justified cases. The regulations are issued in both German and English. In case of doubt, the German version shall prevail.
8. Acceptance of the Regulations
By submitting a film, the regulations in their current version are accepted and the authority to enter the film is confirmed.
Status: December 2025
