Could you be a Berlin Talent in 2026?

Berlinale Talents is the brilliant talent development programme run by the Berlinale (Berlin's International Film Festival) which selects 200 emerging filmmakers and series creators from all over the world each year to gather and unpack the how and why of movie making. With a project development lab, the Berlinale Talents Lab, the Talent Project Market and an onsite Summit with panels, discussions, workshops and networking opportunities, it all takes place during the Berlinale each February.

The Berlin Talents team is now looking for its next intake to take part in an incomparable week of talks, workshops, think-tanks and networking to take place from February 13-18, 2026. Could you be what they are looking for?

Apply by September 3, 2025, 12:00 noon (CEST)

Since 2003, with British Council as one of the original funding partners, Berlinale Talents has grown to become a one-of-a-kind forum for film professionals and films fans alike, with a packed schedule of public talks, discipline-specific workshops, project development Labs and networking events. Sitting alongside the Berlinale’s screenings programme and the European Film Market’s business hub, Berlinale Talents focusses on a new generation of creative people exploring how they see the world through a different lens.

Who can apply to be a Berlinale Talent?

Berlinale Talents is aimed at filmmakers, series and XR content creators with an existing track record of work. Applications are open now to talented creatives working in 14 different film fields, ranging from directing to film criticism, and from sound design to sales and distribution.

Over the last decade many UK Talents alumni have found huge success after their Berlinale experience from writer/directors like Mahdi Fleifel, Fyzal Boulifa, Rose Glass, Clio Barnard and Anthony Chen, to producers Sarah Brocklehurst and Emily Morgan, as well as Oscar/Bafta-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton

Last year, 13 film professionals based in the UK were selected for Berlinale Talents and offered support by the British Council to attend. Our colleagues in British Council Germany (based in Berlin), caught up with some of them before they headed out to the event. Find out about how the programme’s theme resonated with their work, what being part of the Berlinale Talents meant to them, and more…

https://www.britishcouncil.de/en/programmes/arts/berlinale-talents-2024

Travel Grants to attend

We have a Travel Grants fund alongside our colleagues at the BFI. If you are selected to attend as a UK talent, we will offer a grant towards to your attendance via our Travel Grants fund.

But first - you need to be selected! Here's how:

Applications for Berlinale Talents 2025 are open now – but the deadline is fast approaching:

Apply by September 3, 2025, 12:00 noon (CEST)

Details for how to apply here: www.berlinale-talents.de

Questions about your application?

For questions about eligibility, tips for completing the application and much more, see Berlinale Talents FAQs:

https://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/page/c/faq