Arc Film Festival

Startseite
Deutschland
Mainz
Arc Film Festival

October 12th to 15th - Mainz Culture arises, where people meet.

The Arc Film Festival is an International Film Festival with the credo to create a place, where encounters occur and the interests of the filmakers take center stage.

21/06/2026

Kontrastfilm, Media Atelier and Spektrumfilm are supporters of the Arc Film Festival since many years. In 2026 they have endowed the prize moneys:

AND THE WINNERS ARE ...

THE ARC OF SENCES goes to THE MAN THAT I WAVE AT. Ben Hyland and Lee Watson were here to receive this ward: Remarkable visual clarity and emotional precision.
The prize money was endowed by KONTRASTFILM.

THE EMOTIONAL ARC goes to SAINT-HONORÉI by Mohamed Seddiki and Christopher Caulier. Our jury really got caught by the story and how they were quickly involved in the film.
The prize money was endowed by Media Atelier. Media Atelier GmbH.

BEST VISUAL STORYTELLING goes to AIR HORSE ONE by Lasse Linder. Through minimalist powerful images, the film tells the story of a queen for whom we feel deep empathy.
The prize money was endowed by Film Production & Rental.

A SPECIAL ARC goes to WHAT REMAINS by Marvin Menné and Carla Gumbrecht.
A journey that leaves a lasting impression, offers comfort and is etched into the memory of a granddaughter and her grandmother.

A SPECIAL MENTION goes to CUERPOS by Reiff Gaskell who presented every Frame as a „Spanish“ Rembrandt. As if an oil paint comes to life.

A SPECIAL MENTION goes to TURNAROUND by Aisling Byrne.
A film work that brings greater structures down to a personal story, quite, with impact.

Thank you all for your powerful contributions. Your work moved us, our jury and the audience strongly. The trophies are crafted by Robert Schröder-Lins!

Find the full conclusions of the jury on our website with the newest updates!

Photos by and jeromeremyrealisateur
Video by

Landeshauptstadt Mainz Ben Hyland Christopher Caulier saint honoré.film Connolly Byrne Arcade.film Lasse Linder .drbn

27/05/2026

We are very excited to have presented the work of Lilo Tahmasebi. She will soon publish her memoirs — a life rich in art, politics, and joie de vivre. We present major works from her modern paintings, along with an insight into her visual path until here. Alongside the 2,70m tall paintings we also invite the Arc aufience to explore in four glass vitrines her process and feature paintings as well as scribbles that she created when living Andalusia, Teheran, Washington and Berlin.

20/05/2026

Linus Terbrack drops the dreaded question: “How would you describe your film in two words?”

Thank you

19/05/2026

Handkäs con Musica 🎺🍷

A special city tour through Mainz — we invited our international guests to discover Mainz while also inviting the people of the city to experience the spirit of our partner country. While the Spanish group Carnaval Sin Fronteras opened their hearts to the city, we introduced traditions surrounding Mainz’s “Fifth Season.” Local delicacies like Kreppel accompanied the magnificent music of the Carnaval de Cádiz. Between carnival traditions, stories, and regional flavors, Rheinhessen met Andalusia — alegría met true Mainzer Lebensgefühl.

Photography by Marius Grein & Jerome Remy
Videogrqphy by Linus Terbrack

05/05/2026

Linus Terbrack asks the question:
What was the most memorable feedback to you?

How about you?
Dear jury .sevenich and ❔❔❔

Thank you

04/05/2026

In this year’s selection, we’ve encountered a diverse range of female portrayals. But do these truly reflect what appears on screen?

Roles. Representation. Reality. focuses on the portrayal of identities on screen, questioning established norms and stereotypes while opening up conversations about authenticity, and shifting perspectives. This panel examines the gap between the roles offered to women, what audiences perceive, and what actresses actually experience. Despite progress, the industry continues to exhibit structural imbalances.

The Scene-Talks bring filmmakers and audiences together to explore central themes. This conversation invites to critical reflection on how stories are told. Our Scene Talks expand the festival beyond screenings, fostering critical engagement and highlighting film as both an artistic and social practice.

Meet Annie Nowak! She discovered her passion for acting at an early age and began performing in theater at just 12 years old. In 2016, her work at the Kammerspiele at the Deutsches Theater marked her first professional step and solidified her decision to pursue acting as a career. She later studied acting in Leipzig and has since left her stage engagement to focus more on film and screen work.

02/05/2026

Spain in focus! This year’s Spanish focus reshaped the festival into a richer cultural experience 🇪🇸✨

By expanding the film selection with a vibrant cultural programme, the event moved beyond screenings.
Moments of connections and an audiences in awe while highlighting the diversity and evolution of Spanish storytelling. Maybe never before 10 singers from Cádiz sang in Germany. Tapas, vino and the possibility to talk to the directors right after the films.

25/04/2026

Frederique Veith is a director mainly working on documentary formats for arte. Currently she's in pre production of her fictional feature with Schiwago Film, which she'll shoot across borders: in Germany and Tunisia.

For this Scene Talk she has been keen to look ahead. She explored the Future of European cinema, aiming for new narrative forms, technological developments, and the evolving role of film in society. This Scene Talk brings together different voices to discuss how cinema can remain relevant, innovative, and inclusive in the years to come - finding a tone that unites is and collaborating...

Participants from left to right:

Niklas Heuer-Jungmann (Alive Inside)
Antonio Labajo (CompARTE)
Reiff Gaskell (Cuerpos)
Ben S. Hyland (The Man I Wave At)

24/04/2026

The breakfast with filmmakers is where the conversation flows easily over coffee and fresh bread – mixing professional insights with personal anecdotes. We bring the filmmakers into our favourite Cafés of the city. This time we took our guests to Café Freude .mainz

The inspiration for this lovely routine that we established 2017 has it’s core inspiration in Cádiz where the documentary film festival Alcances has a similar set up. This year, it felt especially meaningful to welcome guests from Cádiz — the oldest city in Western Europe where the Atlantic breeze drifts through the narrow streets — bringing a touch of that atmosphere back to us. In between conversations, our Spanish guests would break into song, filling the moments with warmth, rhythm, a sense of sunlit ease and the effortless joy.

23/04/2026

Ninon Borsei truly captivates audiences with her unique screen presence. Her performance in "Life's A Bitch" is so precise and nuanced that it blurs the line between human and animal behavior—drawing the audience into a world that is as absurd as it is deeply emotional.

She shines in this film that explores the complex, often strange relationships between humans and their dogs. Directed by Xavier Seron, the black comedy weaves together three interconnected stories, using dogs as a thread to reflect loneliness, love, and the darker sides of human nature.
xavier returns this time with a feature film, following the success of his short film, which won Best Visual Storytelling in 2023 – endowed by

With its mix of dark humor, surreal moments, and tragic undertones, this film once again offers a sharp and unconventional look at modern life—where companionship and isolation exist side by side.

A film that is as strange as it is touching—and a reminder of how unpredictable human (and canine) relationships can be.

Moderated by Marcel Beck
Fotos by Marius Grein
Video by Linus Terbrack

Adresse

CAPITOL Filmtheater Neubrunnenstraße 9
Mainz
55116

Webseite

http://www.arc-filmfestival.com/

Benachrichtigungen

Lassen Sie sich von uns eine E-Mail senden und seien Sie der erste der Neuigkeiten und Aktionen von Arc Film Festival erfährt. Ihre E-Mail-Adresse wird nicht für andere Zwecke verwendet und Sie können sich jederzeit abmelden.