Overview
- Opening night in Starnberg featured the French comedy “Jane Austen und das Chaos in meinem Leben,” drawing about 500 guests and an additional sold-out screening.
- Festival director Matthias Helwig says the 2025 budget is €370,000, well below the €700,000–€1 million he considers typical for an event of this scale.
- To curb costs, this year’s edition is one day shorter and is being mounted by an extremely small permanent team.
- Bavarian media minister Florian Herrmann pledged continued state funding and highlighted plans to mark next year’s anniversary.
- The lineup emphasizes Central European cinema with numerous premieres and more than 100 visiting guests, with honors including the Hannelore-Elsner Prize for Leonie Benesch.