CINEMARE — Internationales Meeresfilmfestival Kiel
Six days of the sea on screen — Germany's only marine film festival
About CINEMARE
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Germany's Only Marine Film Festival
Kiel — the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein, an independent city in northern Germany, and home to the renowned GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research — is the natural location for a film festival exclusively dedicated to the oceans. In 2026, the CINEMARE International Marine Film Festival Kiel will celebrate its 10th edition, establishing itself as Germany's central stage for marine films.
Nine Venues, One Theme
The festival utilizes an unusually wide range of cultural venues in Kiel:
- Metro Kino — Opening film and main programme
- Studio Filmtheater — Indie and arthouse selection
- Kino in der Pumpe — Programme highlights
- Traum GmbH — Special formats
- Hansa48 — Discussion evenings
- Theater Kiel — Ocean Film in Concert (film screening with live orchestra)
- SeaLevel — Special formats
- Segelcamp Kiellinie — Outdoor screenings
- GEOMAR (Arena 2) — Scientific programme strand
Thematic Focuses
The festival follows a clear curatorial line. Themes for 2026:
- Marine conservation and ocean preservation
- Indigenous coastal communities as ocean guardians
- Sustainable fishing and the fight against bottom trawling
- Climate change and its consequences for coastal regions
- Marine research and technology
- Underwater wildlife documentaries (orcas, humpback whales, sea otters)
- Freediving in German waters
More Than Just Films
CINEMARE sees itself as more than just a film festival. Special formats complement the film selection:
- Ocean Science Show — young scientists present their research
- Kieler Ocean Parade — Citizen demonstration for marine conservation through Kiel
- CINEMARE Landgang — Mobile film screening bike tour
- Live Ostsee Dive — Live broadcast of underwater footage from the Kiel Fjord
- Ocean Film in Concert — Documentary film with live orchestra at the Kiel Theatre
- International Ocean Film Tour — Curated compilation of five films
A Kiel Institution
Since its premiere in 2017, CINEMARE has become a fixture in Kiel's cultural calendar — alongside the Kieler Woche in June, it is the most important maritime cultural event in the state capital. In 2026, the festival enters its second decade with its 10th edition. It adds a niche topic to the German film festival landscape, one that is gaining increasing relevance with the escalating climate crisis and marine emergency.
CINEMARE — edition 2026
CINEMARE 2026 — The Anniversary Edition
From May 5 to 10, 2026, Kiel will once again become the capital of marine film. CINEMARE's 10th anniversary will be celebrated across nine venues — Metro Kino, Studio Filmtheater, Kino in der Pumpe, Traum GmbH, Hansa48, Theater Kiel, SeaLevel, Segelcamp Kiellinie, and GEOMAR (Arena 2). The organizer is CINEMARE International Marine Film Festival Kiel e.V., with its office at Knooper Weg 149a.
The 2026 programme features a curated selection of international documentary, feature, and short films on marine themes. This is complemented by special formats such as the Ocean Parade, Ocean Science Show, Landgang bike tour, Live Ostsee Dive, and Ocean Film in Concert with a live orchestra at the Kiel Theatre.
Programme CINEMARE 2026
Programme May 5–10, 2026
Tuesday, May 5 — Opening
- 4:00 PM — Opening film "Aufgetaucht — Der Kieler Brandtaucher" (Metro Kino) — Documentary about the fate of Wilhelm Bauer's submarine, the first German underwater vehicle (1851)
Main Festival Programme May 6–9
- Mission Sea Otter — Kelp forests and CO2 storage
- Yanuni — The Voice of the Amazon — Indigenous environmental policy
- House of Fish — The fight against illegal bottom trawling
- Waterwoman — Freediving in German waters
- Orcas — Rulers of the Seas — Intelligence and behaviour of killer whales
- Among Humpback Whales — Research on humpback whale communication
Saturday, May 9
- 12:00 PM — 5th Kieler Ocean Parade (Citizen demonstration for marine conservation)
- 5:15 PM — Ocean Science Show (young scientists present research)
- 7:00 PM — CINEMARE Landgang (mobile film screening bike tour)
Sunday, May 10 — Closing
- 1:30 PM — Live Ostsee Dive (Live broadcast of underwater footage from the Kiel Fjord)
- 3:00 PM — International Ocean Film Tour (Compilation of 5 films)
- 5:00 PM — Ocean Film in Concert at the Kiel Theatre — Croatian coastal documentary with live orchestra
Complete programme overview and screening times at cinemare.org/en/programm2026.
Highlights CINEMARE 2026
- 10th Edition — Anniversary
- Opening film "Aufgetaucht — Der Kieler Brandtaucher"
- 9 Kiel venues — from Metro Kino to GEOMAR
- 5th Kieler Ocean Parade on May 9
- Ocean Film in Concert with live orchestra at the Kiel Theatre
- Live Ostsee Dive from the Kiel Fjord
- Films on marine conservation, indigenous guardians, orcas, humpback whales, sea otters
Prices CINEMARE 2026
Practical information — CINEMARE
Getting Here
By train: Kiel Hauptbahnhof (direct connections Hamburg–Flensburg). Most venues are within walking distance of the city centre; GEOMAR and Kiellinie are accessible by bus or bicycle.
Tickets
On sale via the websites of the respective venues and cinemare.org. Festival passes and single tickets available. Outdoor events (Ocean Parade, Landgang) usually free admission.
Festival Headquarters
CINEMARE Office: Knooper Weg 149a, 24118 Kiel — Information, materials, festival passes.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place CINEMARE
Metro Kino, Studio Filmtheater, Kino in der Pumpe, Hansa48 u.a.
Knooper Weg 149a, 24118 Kiel, 24103 Kiel