The ambition to bring world cinema to Wuerzburg has been driving the organizers of the International Film Festival since its inception in 1974. In the age of streaming services, productions from formerly exotic film countries are supposedly just a click away, but it is at festivals in particular that you can find a carefully curated, high-quality selection of current films. Or when was the last time you streamed a Japanese or Somali film?
In 2026, the members of the program group have once again brought great international productions from the most renowned national and international festivals to Wuerzburg. This time, cinema from Eastern and Southeastern Europe is strongly represented with productions from Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Here is an overview: “Made in EU” (Bulgaria/Germany/Czechia 2025) is about a poor seamstress in a small Bulgarian town whose already precarious situation worsens when she is diagnosed with Covid. “DJ Ahmet” (North Macedonia/Czechia/Serbia/Croatia 2025) shows in an amusing but also serious way the culture clash experienced by a boy from a remote village in North Macedonia when he meets a rebellious visitor of the same age from Germany. In “Perla” (Austria/Slovakia 2025), an artist who emigrated from Vienna in the early 1980s sets off for her homeland behind the Iron Curtain when her husband is released from prison seriously ill. And in the eponymous cult car “Yugo Florida” (Serbia 2025), Zoran and his father, who is suffering from leukemia, visit doctors and have to deal with each other for the first time in many years. Finally, “Summer School” (Czechia/Slovakia 2025) shows the confusion of a young Vietnamese man who has spent the last ten years with his grandmother in Vietnam and now returns to his family in Czechia, who have to eke out a living as traders on an illegal market.
Traditionally, African cinema has always had a strong presence at the International Film Festival, and it is also highly regarded by Wuerzburg film audiences. Just last year, the Kenyan-German film “Nawi” won the audience award.
In 2026, we will be showing three films from Africa, including “The Village next to Paradise“ (Somalia/Austria 2024), in which a traditional gravedigger finds it increasingly difficult to fend off competition from those who work with machines – and at the same time to provide his talented son with an education. In “Promis le ciel” (Tunisia/France 2025), we see three women who have fled from Côte d’Ivoire to Tunisia and must not only fight for their own survival, but also care for a four-year-old girl whose parents drowned when their refugee boat capsized. The documentary “Mikuba“ (DR Congo 2025) takes us into the world of illegal cobalt mining, where an resourceful small trader tries to resist the Chinese buyers who dominate the market.
Strong female characters in films from around the world
One encouraging development in contemporary cinema is the increasing number of films with strong and interesting female protagonists. Take young Clara in “La Hija Cóndor” (Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay 2025), who is torn between her indispensable work as a midwife in a remote community in the Andes and her desire to become a singer and achieve success. The German film “Sechswochenamt” (2025), the debut of director Jaqueline Jansen, shows how 25-year-old Lore tries to cope with the death of her mother while having to deal with unsympathetic fellow human beings and rigid conventions. And “Gülizar” (Turkey 2024) is a young Turkish woman who moves to Kosovo to be with her fiancé and becomes the victim of sexual assault there – a traumatic experience that throws her off course.
Two documentaries also deal with the lives of women or girls in the modern world: “Girls don’t cry” (Germany 2025) portrays six girls from different countries who share similar desires despite their diverse circumstances. And “Niñxs” (Mexico/Germany 2025) follows trans teenager Karla in her small Mexican hometown over a period of eight years.
Further examples from the program of the 52nd International Film Festival include a series of films about music and its creators, the popular Japan series, and late-night horror and thriller films. But there is also something for children and young people in the program. The highly relevant documentary film program is also worth mentioning.
Special events such as the silent film matinee and a program of films by Wuerzburg filmmakers round off the program. The complete overview with a summary of the content and a link to the trailer can be found here:
Line-Up 2026