Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin 2026: Save the Date
The 7th Ukrainian Film Festival Berlin will take place 14–18 October 2026 under the theme "Emergency Spaces".
The festival will once again present the latest contemporary films from Ukraine alongside curated thematic programmes and retrospectives.
The theme of this year's festival, "Emergency Spaces", explores places that offer orientation, refuge, and solidarity in times of uncertainty and social upheaval.
“Emergency Spaces takes us into liminal spaces where reality begins to blur, existing—much like in the films of David Lynch—at the threshold between dreams and the surreal. In recent years, one crisis has followed another, making the reality we once knew seem increasingly distant and difficult to grasp. This is precisely why spaces of refuge and solidarity have become so important: they offer room for reflection and open up new perspectives for the future. We understand an Emergency Space as such a place—suspended between uncertainty on the one hand and solidarity and community on the other,” says Daria Buteiko, one of the festival's three artistic directors.
The UFFB Short Film Competition returns for its third edition. Filmmakers can submit their films via FilmFreeway until 15 August 2026.
The full festival programme will be announced in early September 2026. We look forward to welcoming you to Berlin this October!
Short Film Competition 2026:
Call for Entries
We are excited to invite filmmakers to submit their works to UFFB 2026 which will take place on October 14 – 18, 2026!
We are looking for Ukrainian films, as well as films from around the world
that are either created by Ukrainians or focus on Ukraine.
- Films must not exceed 35 minutes in length.
- Must have been completed no earlier than January 1, 2025.
- Submission Deadline: August 15th, 2026.
By submitting a film to UFFB, you consent to its screening at the festival. It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure all necessary permissions have been obtained prior to submission.
For promotional purposes, UFFB may publish or share excerpts (up to 90 seconds or 10% of the film’s total length) with the press. Additionally, selected films may be made available in full to accredited press representatives for reporting purposes.
We look forward to discovering unique and cinematic works from and about Ukraine!
Submit your film via FilmFreeway!
Berlin, 01.02.2026