FAQs

Established in 2003, Berlinale Talents is the festival’s talent development programme for the world’s top 200 emerging filmmakers and emerging key players of the cinema industry. It consists of a creative Summit with talks, discussions, workshops and numerous networking events, the Berlinale Talents Lab for all Talents alumni with projects in development and the Talent Project Market for producers seeking co-production and further partners.

Our participants are emerging professionals who have already begun to build their careers and establish themselves within the film world, and our experts and mentors engage with them as equals. During six packed days, you'll encounter hundreds of new ideas and numerous like-minded people. Many of our participants describe Berlinale Talents as a transformative milestone in their careers.

For everyone involved, it also marks entry into a global network of more than 10,000 Talents alumni and the beginning of a lasting connection with the Berlinale.

Every year in February, Berlin becomes the home for filmmakers and industry representatives alike who attend the Berlinale programme sections and the European Film Market to present their latest work. With links to both the business and artistic components of the festival, the Summit of Berlinale Talents is a six-day onsite event in presence of everyone invited (2027: 12-17 February).

The Berlinale Talents Lab and Talent Project Market take place during the Berlinale, with additional preparation sessions online from mid-January. Each participant receives in-depth one-on-one sessions with esteemed mentors such as experienced filmmakers, producers or story editors who offer detailed feedback and guidance. In addition to these personalised meetings, there are also peer-to-peer exchange sessions, various networking opportunities to discuss the projects with filmmakers and industry professionals and for the Lab participants a pitch presentation for their fellow Talents and invited industry.

Berlinale Talents is aimed at film and television professionals with an existing track record of work; individuals who not only seek to deepen their own practice, but who are equally committed to contributing to a vibrant, collaborative community. We look for participants who approach their work and peers with generosity and proactivity, who are driven by curiosity for the new and unfamiliar, and who embrace exchange with openness, respect, and a willingness for ongoing self-reflection and growth.

To be eligible, you need to have made at least one feature-length film OR two short films OR a high-quality drama series or TV movie that have screened in festivals or been widely streamed. Students are only admitted in very exceptional cases, e.g. if they have previously worked in the film business. If you don’t fulfil these criteria yet, don’t worry — simply apply for a future edition.

If you wish to apply as a distributor, sales agent or marketing professional, you should have been involved in either the distribution or sale of at least two feature-length films or be responsible for a cinema space or festival, e.g. as a curator.

If you're applying as a critic, you should be publishing film-related articles, interviews or essays on a regular and professional basis. For more information, please visit the how to apply website.

Since "talent" is a broad term and ultimately a very individual characteristic, we don’t have hard selection criteria beyond the eligibility requirements set out under "Who can apply?". Nevertheless, there are several soft factors in the selection committee’s work. Their decision will take into account aspects such as “professionalism” (education, professional independence, track record etc.), “craftsmanship” (aesthetic capacities as shown e.g. in your work sample), “resonance” (relations with your local communities, acceptance among festival programmers, audiences and press etc.) and the “relevance and ingenuity” of your work (willingness to take artistic risks, to overcome internal and external boundaries, to deal with individual and social issues etc.). We also look for innovative qualities in your work (new modes of collaboration, technical innovations and other fresh approaches in your field of work). However, please be assured that we don’t check boxes and truly believe in everyone’s individual strengths, including yours. We encourage you to honestly and fully present who you are as an artist and what you think is right to move your work forward, inspire others and impact the world that surrounds you.

Berlinale Talents is aimed at working professionals with specific levels of experience behind them, rather than those taking their very first steps in the industry. At the core of Berlinale Talents are our values of inclusivity and equality, so of course we place no limits on the age of applicants.

We like to ensure a reasonable balance between "hard" factors (e.g. age, gender, regions) and "soft" factors (e.g. creative and social diversity). It's worth noting that in past years, at least 50% of our participants have identified as female, which unfortunately is not yet the case throughout the wider film industry. Nevertheless, there is no specific quota at Berlinale Talents, especially not for countries, and quality and creativity are always the most convincing arguments.

We would like to ensure that Berlinale Talents is a safe and inclusive environment for our community, and that extends to physical attendance during the festival too. Our main locations are barrier-free. Closer to the festival, you can find all details in our Venue Information. If you have particular accessibility requirements, please get in touch with us at talents@berlinale.de so that we can answer your questions.

Applications for Berlinale Talents 2027 open in early July, 2026, and close on September 2, 2026. If you apply before August 19, 2026, you benefit from our Early Bird Rate. We recommend that you subscribe to our newsletter and social media channels to be notified of the next call for entries.

First and foremost, you must be a Berlinale Talents alum, meaning you have already taken part in our Summit or in one of our international hubs, to apply to the Berlinale Talents Lab. 

Filmmakers with documentary, fiction film or drama series projects, including short form and VR, XR and cross-media projects, at script level may apply to the Berlinale Talents Lab. 

If you are a Berlinale Talents alum, please log in to your existing profile to apply. We ask that you update your existing filmography and career information as well as completing the application. 

For more information, please visit the Berlinale Talents Lab website.

Producers with fully developed feature-length film projects seeking co-producers and/or further partners may apply for the Talent Project Market.

The Talent Project Market is open to producers who are either first-time applicants to the Berlinale Talents Summit or returning alumni producers.

If you are a Berlinale Talents alum, please log in to your existing profile to apply. We ask that you update your existing filmography and career information as well as completing the application.

For more information on eligibility and application criteria, please visit the Talent Project Market website.

At Berlinale Talents, we are constantly listening to feedback from our participants and community, evolving and improving. That is why, starting in our 2026 edition, we decided to merge our three previous Stations into one collective Lab. Filmmakers can still apply with documentary, script and short form projects, and they will continue to get workshops tailored to their projects' needs, but this decision was born of a continued desire from previous participants for collaboration with other fields of work, peer to peer networking and learning, and more integration.

The Workshops do not require an additional application. Depending on the field of work you apply with, you will automatically become part of the corresponding one or two-day workshops during the Talents week, which offer a variety of speciality sessions for distinct fields of work plus interdisciplinary sessions where you meet and collaborate with filmmakers from other areas of expertise.

As an alum who has already taken part in the Berlinale Talents Summit or in one of our international hubs, you have the option to apply with a project for the Berlinale Talents Lab or Talent Project Market. If you have previously participated in one of the international hubs you are able to apply also for the Berlinale Talents Summit. 

Yes, as a former participant of the Talents International initiatives in Beirut, Buenos Aires, Durban, Guadalajara, Rio de Janeiro, Sarajevo, or Tokyo you may apply for Berlinale Talents if you fulfill our application criteria. To apply please login to your existing Talents profile. The application form for Berlinale Talents will be available once the application opens by beginning of July.

There's no participation fee for Berlinale Talents. If invited, you will have to cover your accommodation and your travel costs as well as daily expenditures during your stay in Berlin. It is possible that regional and/or local film institutes and foundations around the globe may offer support for participants of Berlinale Talents, so we recommend reaching out to those in your area. Feel free to contact us if you need to submit any additional documents.

Berlinale Talents is an initiative funded by public entities, partners from the industry and its own communities. So that we can continue to offer our services, all applicants contribute a service fee as part of their application.

There are two rates for the application Service Fee: The Standard Rate of 15 Euro, and the Early Bird Rate of 10 Euro. To be eligible for the Early Bird Rate, you must submit your complete application by 19.08.2026.

Additionally, an optional 5 Euro contribution helps make Berlinale Talents accessible to a wider range of voices and perspectives. The optional contribution does not have any influence on the probability of being selected.

The payment of the Service Fee is incorporated into the application process. It is the final step, carried out directly before you submit your application. You can currently choose between Mastercard, VISA, American Express and PayPal as your payment method. In case credit card payment is restricted in your country or you face other problems with the system, please reach out early enough before the deadline to the Talent Administration via talents@berlinale.de for help.

If you already have a Berlinale Talents account and would like to apply with a different discipline, you can easily update your 1st and 2nd field of work the moment you access the new application. Please only choose a new field if you can already provide evidence of your respective skills, e.g. with completed films in your filmography. If you are an alum and would like to update the field(s) of work listed in your public profile, please contact us at talents@berlinale.de.

The sample of work should be about 3 minutes long and must correspond with your first field of work in the application (if you're applying as an editor, your sample of work should be only one continuous scene of up to 3 minutes). It should contain a maximum of two scenes (not necessarily from the same film).

Please choose a sample that is understandable without the full context of the film and that proves what you are capable of. The sample should highlight your creativity rather than a certain theme or message. All scenes that contain significant non-English dialogue must include on-screen English subtitles. A translated list of dialogue on paper is not sufficient. The sample’s sound/soundtrack should not be altered from the original film. Please make sure that you are the copyright owner and/or have obtained the consent of any other copyright owner(s) for the usage of the work sample. We do not accept showreels, trailers, teasers or commercials.

The sample of work must be uploaded to your application profile before the application deadline. Since our servers are usually very busy and may not be able to process your upload in short time, we strongly recommend to upload the sample at the beginning and NOT as the last step of your application process or shortly before the deadline. It is recommended to use a movie file with Quicktime/MPEG4 video compression in h.264 codec with a variable compression (bit rate of at least 2000 kbp/s) and AAC audio at 128 kbit/s. If your uploaded file corresponds to at least these criteria, it will be used without any conversion for the selection process.

In addition to your work sample, you may include links to other films or materials. Make sure the links remain valid until the end of December. If any of your files are password-protected, enter the password in the corresponding field of the application form. Please note that these additional materials are not part of the mandatory application and will only be reviewed in certain cases.

Please include all finished films and drama/web series as well as projects in development to which you have contributed or are contributing in a key crew position. You may leave out projects to which you have only contributed e.g. as an assistant, volunteer, intern or that have been handled by other colleagues in a company you are working for.

As a creative, your talent is certainly not only to be found in your films. In order to get to know you and your background a bit better, we’d also love you to share some important milestones of your educational training and the film related companies and initiatives you are working at or even have founded. If you are teaching film classes at university or engage with others in a collective cinema space twice a week, this information helps the jurors to get the “full picture” of you. As an initiative dedicated to sustainability in four key fields – Gender Equality & Diversity; Quality Education; Peace, Justice & Understanding; Climate Action – we’d love to join forces with you once you come to Berlin. So if you are for example the founder of an association for female cinematographers in your country, the inventor of a solar powered mobile cinema, or the brain behind a social project reaching out to indigenous audiences, please mention that in the Milestones section (“Social Projects & Engagement”) of your application too. Once invited to Berlinale Talents, we can offer related grants and fellowships and connect you with others who share your commitments.

We aim to notify all applicants of the outcome of their application by mid-December. 

Yes, you may apply again for a later edition. We strongly encourage reapplication, as it is quite common for candidates who were not selected initially to be accepted some years later. Please note that old application profiles will be deleted after a five-year period. If you decide to apply again after that time, please create a new application profile on our website.

Use your alumni profile to keep the information about you and your projects up to date. Login here with your Berlinale Talents credentials. After logging in, click the “Edit" button beside "Public Profile” and select which part of your profile you would like to update.