Independent Days International Film Festival Karlsruhe

25 Years of Indie Film Festival in Karlsruhe

The Independent Days — IDIF or Indie Film Festival for short — is one of the most prominent platforms for German independent film and one of the few film festivals in Southern Germany with a distinctly international program. Founded in 2001, the festival celebrates its 25th Anniversary Edition in 2026: from April 15 to 19, 2026, over five days, at several venues in Karlsruhe's city center.

Main Venue SCHAUBURG Karlsruhe

The heart of the festival is the SCHAUBURG Karlsruhe at Marienstraße 16 — the arthouse cinema with the highest reputation in Karlsruhe. This is where the main programs will be shown: Feature films and the Indierama program featuring films operating beyond the commercial mainstream. Screenings are spread across all five festival days, with multiple slots per day.

The XR Area at the Badische Landesbibliothek

A special feature of Independent Days is the XR Area (Extended Reality — Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality), which will run from April 13 to 18, 2026, in the foyer of the Badische Landesbibliothek (Erbprinzenstraße 15, 76133 Karlsruhe). 12 VR films have been selected from 35 submissions — one of the largest curated XR programs at German film festivals. The films can be viewed with VR headsets (Pico, Meta Quest) — daily from 10 AM to 6 PM.

2026 Program — Feature Films, Short Films, Medium-Length Films

The 2026 program includes: Feature films, Indierama (alternative feature film selection), short films, documentaries, and medium-length films. International participants from all over the world — Independent Days has evolved over the years into a forum for non-Western indie productions, particularly from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

12 Awards Totaling €13,000

The festival concludes with the Awards Gala on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 9:15 PM. The festival presents 12 awards in various categories (Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Lead Actor/Actress, etc.) with a total value of €13,000. Additionally, there will be workshops, masterclasses, an industry series on filmmaking and AI, and the popular Speed Dating for Filmmakers — a networking format that has become rare in the German film festival landscape.

Karlsruhe — Media and Cultural City

With approximately 310,000 inhabitants, Karlsruhe is the third-largest city in Baden-Württemberg and home to the ZKM | Center for Art and Media, a world-leading institution for digital and media art. This connection — film festival, ZKM, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design — creates a unique Karlsruhe film culture, where the XR Area of Independent Days finds its place naturally. The festival is part of this ecosystem of indie cinema, media art, and film education.