Exchange & Networking
Our industry programme is aimed at accredited professionals from the German and international film industry, creating opportunities for exchange, networking and new collaborations.
Its key formats include the EUROPEAN WORK IN PROGRESS (EWIP) platform and the INTERNATIONAL FILM DISTRIBUTION SUMMIT (IFDS), both dedicated to showcasing European and German films at various stages of production and distribution. Through our MADE IN GERMANY series, we spotlight current topics and developments within the German film and media industry.
The Industry Days programme is further complemented by the EXPLORER KONFERENZ, which explores the future of film production in Europe, as well as a range of talent development and professional training initiatives. These include #ATELIER26, presented in collaboration with La Semaine de la Critique at the Festival de Cannes and the emerging talent initiative FIRST STEPS, alongside ENCOURAGE Film Talents, a programme designed for young filmmakers from the DACH region.
In addition, FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS provides a platform for partner events and international industry gatherings. In 2025, ten European producers participating in European Film Promotion’s PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE programme met with ten producers from Northern Germany. MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, together with the FFA and the Produktionsallianz, also hosted the Nordic NEST kick-off, bringing together 60 experienced producers from the five Nordic countries. Hamburg also welcomed the African-European Distribution Academy (AEDA), which connected representatives of the African film industry with their European counterparts.
News

23. June 2026
New to the Curatorial Team
The Explorer Konferenz is expanding its curatorial team and further developing its online format, Explorer Impuls. Producers Heejung Oh and Ali Hakim are joining the team. The Explorer Konferenz will take place on October 1, 2026, as part of the FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS (September 28 – October 1, 2026), with the theme “Redefining Production”.

15. June 2026
Shape the Future of Cinema
What if attending a festival also meant helping shape the future of cinema? From 29 September to 1 October 2026, FILMFEST HAMBURG, the CICAE (International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas) and Futura Cinema will invite a selected group of European cinemas and cultural professionals to take part in an exclusive innovation programme during the 34th edition of FILMFEST HAMBURG and its INDUSTRY DAYS.

3. June 2026
EWIP – Call for Entries
Film projects can now be submitted for European Work in Progress (EWIP) 2026. The call for entries is open until 14 August 2026. EWIP will take place from 28–30 September 2026 as part of FILMFEST HAMBURG INDUSTRY DAYS. Now in its second year in Hamburg, the programme will showcase up to 25 European fiction, documentary and animated film projects that are nearing completion or currently in post-production.
contact

Fabian Massah












