UNDER BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2026

For the past five years, the Berlin edition has operated as an independent, not-for-profit initiative that provides a platform for films, filmmakers and stories that rarely find a place in the commercial cinema circuit.

The 2026 programme comprises 16 films from 15 countries – Argentina, Austria, Cameroon, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Peru, the Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Türkiye, the USA, Venezuela and Uruguay.

The films will be screened in various programme blocks that bring different geographical regions, cinematic forms of expression and perspectives into dialogue with one another.

This year’s selection focuses in particular on grief, binary thinking and human experiences that often remain invisible in dominant narratives. These are stories about the invisible, told from a variety of personal, social and cultural perspectives.

The venue is once again the historic Brotfabrik Kino in Weißensee / Pankow.

All films will be screened in their original language with English subtitles. After the screenings, the get-together will continue on site – with conversations, bread and a toast shared between the audience, filmmakers and guests.

The UNDER BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL sees cinema as an experience that does not end with the closing credits. Each edition aims to create a space for exchange, where films become a starting point for reflection, discussion and encounters between different perspectives. Furthermore, the festival fosters connections with other disciplines and with the cultural venues where it takes place. The specific context and the active participation of the audience are integral parts of the festival experience.

UBFF receives no public funding. The Berlin edition is organised by a small team that works on a voluntary basis throughout the year and coordinates with the various international locations of the trans-territorial UNDER network.

Over the past five years, the festival has hosted events at various cultural venues across Berlin, including Lichtblick Kino (Prenzlauer Berg), Brotfabrik Kino (Weißensee / Pankow), Andenbuch Kulturraum (Kreuzberg), La Escalera Library (Prenzlauer Berg), B23 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg) and El Taller d’Luis (Kreuzberg).

Full programme

Further information: @underberlinfilmfestival

Advance ticket sales from 1 November

Artistic director and overall production: Peri Azar / Bies Culture (Spain)

Production: Festival Transterritorial de Cine Underground (Argentina)

Programme curation: Peri Azar / Tiff Cantoral

Technical coordination: Sofía Fontenla

Social media: Tiff Cantoral

Visual design: Randolfo Camarotto

Interpreting: Lara Ziemann

PERFORMANCES:

• Thursday, 12 November: 7.00 pm
• Friday, 13 November: 5.00 pm and 9.15 pm
• Saturday, 14 November: 5.00 pm, 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm