FilmFest Hamburg is sharpening its visual identity: Hamburg-based brand and design studio Hansen/2, which created the festival’s logo about a decade ago, has now refined its visual language. At the heart of the new look is the bond between film and celebration, the very things that define the festival: cinema, community, local roots, and a global outlook.

The new dynamism in the lettering captures that connection between film and celebration. It brings movement, lightness, and openness to the logo, reflecting a festival that screens films, brings people together, and puts Hamburg on the map as a vibrant festival destination. The signature yellow remains untouched, still serving as the bold, recognizable mark of the brand.

“We screen films, we throw a festival and we do it against one of the most beautiful backdrops there is: Hamburg!” says Malika Rabahallah, festival director of FilmFest Hamburg. “This new identity captures beautifully what FilmFest Hamburg is all about: film and celebration, cinema and connection, the city and the world. To me, it embodies the sense of movement, openness, and love of cinema that has shaped FilmFest Hamburg so far and that we want to keep building on.”

For Hansen/2, capturing the festival’s spirit was the driving idea behind the redesign. “The logo is now much bolder and more direct,” says Gesa Hansen, founder and managing director of Hansen/2. “It’s more rhythmically open and emotive, and it expresses the connection between film and celebration and the experience itself in a clear, playful way.”

FilmFest Hamburg runs from September 24 to October 3, 2026. More than 120 productions from around the world will screen as world, European, German, or Hamburg premieres. Festival venues include Abaton, CinemaxX Dammtor, Metropolis, Passage, and Studio Kino. On October 3, the festival celebrates Free Admission Day, with all films screening that day at the five festival venues as well as at the “FilmFest ums Eck” theaters free of charge.