Teenagers help curate the TeenScreen programmes at KUKI Young Short Film Festival Berlin, while school classes take part as juries. The festival presents international short films for audiences from four years upwards, with age-specific competitions, a documentary audience award, environmental films and foreign-language programmes in English, French and Spanish. Younger children hear German voice-over alongside the original languages, and film discussions form part of the screenings.
KUKI dates from 2008 and grows out of interfilm’s children’s section. Bewegliche Ziele e.V. and interfilm Berlin organise the festival. The 19th edition takes place in Berlin, Germany, from 8–15 November 2026, with programmes also shaped through teenage curation workshops.
Awards and prizes
Best Short Film for Young Children: €1,000, sponsored by Ampelmann.
Best Short Film for Children: €1,000, sponsored by Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.
Best Short Film for Teenagers: €2,000, sponsored by Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung.
Best Documentary for Children: €500, sponsored by Ampelmann. Children’s and youth jury classes select the age-group awards; the documentary competition has an audience award.
Festival rules
Worldwide submissions welcome all genres and techniques for children and youth. Films normally run up to 20 minutes; longer works may be selected. The 2026 regulations require films no older than two years. All submissions need English subtitles. Entries use Shortfilmdepot, cost €8 and cover every KUKI category and partner festival INTERFILM. The extended deadline is 1 June 2026.
Screening copies are due 15 October 2026: ProRes 422, 5.1 or stereo, matching the preview; MP4/H.264 is excluded. Supply 1–2 JPEG/TIFF stills at 300dpi minimum and a publishable contact email. KUKI may edit synopses; notifications arrive by October.
Submission confirms screening consent and relevant permissions; withdrawal is excluded. Promotional excerpts are limited to 90 seconds or 10% of running time; press may receive password-protected full films. Previews remain archived. Accredited viewing includes local stations and an online library for up to 30 days from festival start. Attending filmmakers represent their screenings.
Noncompetitive programmes pay €50 for up to three screenings, subject to exclusions; German invoices exclude VAT, foreign invoices include it. Invoices reach shipping@interfilm.de and fibu@interfilm.de by 15 November 2026; late invoices receive no payment. Subsequent commercial/noncommercial screenings require rights-holder agreement. Submission data is stored for festival communication and curation under GDPR.
