20. May 2025

The ARTHOUSE CINEMA AWARD of the International Association of Art House Cinemas (C.I.C.A.E.) will be endowed with 25,000 euros in the future, an increase of 20,000 euros compared to previous years.

»By increasing the prize money, we want to make outstanding arthouse cinema in Germany even more visible and recognize the important work of German distributors in releasing the films«, festival director Malika Rabahallah explains. »Our aim is to enable as many people as possible to experience the diversity of international cinematic art on the big screen.«

Films from the current festival program that are released in German cinemas by a distributor are awarded prizes. The prize money serves as targeted support for PR and marketing measures to make outstanding arthouse cinema accessible to a wider audience. The increase is made possible by MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, which provides the prize as part of its commitment to strengthening the cinema landscape.

The ARTHOUSE CINEMA AWARD is one of a total of eleven prizes awarded at the festival in Hamburg. A jury of three international cinema owners will decide on the winning film.

The award-winning films from previous years include Universal Language (director: Matthew Rankin; distributor: Rapid Eye Movies), How To Have Sex (Molly Manning Walker; distributor: capelight pictures) Close (director: Lukas Dhont; distributor: Pandora Film), Les Olympiades (director: Jacques Audiard; distributor: Neue Visionen), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (director: Céline Sciamma; distributor: Alamode Film), The Rider (director: Chloé Zhao, distributor: Weltkino) and Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem (director: Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz; distributor: Salzgeber).

FILMFEST HAMBURG will take place this year from September 25 to October 4, 2025. The latest films from around the world will be screened for ten days. The complete program will be announced on September 9, 2025.