Competition

One of the core missions of our film festival is to present contemporary cinema from around the world and to offer audiences access to new and exciting voices in filmmaking. Staying true to this vision, our Competition section will feature eight films – a mix of documentaries and features – from eight different countries: Cuba, Georgia, Japan, Australia, Greece, the Dominican Republic, Finland, and Germany.

This final selection comes after an incredibly competitive and inspiring submission process. With submissions open on FilmFreeway, we received around 500 entries from all over the world. Selecting just eight was one of the most difficult tasks we faced. The quality and diversity of the films we watched were truly impressive – but after much deliberation, we arrived at a line-up that we believe best reflects the bold, thoughtful, and visionary spirit of contemporary global cinema. While there is no set theme, the selection is united by its emotional warmth and courageous storytelling – sometimes a coming-of-age tale, sometimes a portrait of everyday life, or the intricacies of human relationships. In some cases, it’s a documentary told through long, immersive takes. Every film in the section reflects a strong, unique voice. An jury will select one film to receive the first Filmfest Aachen Best Film Award, which comes with a prize of 1,000 euros.