27th Children's Film Festival in the State of Brandenburg — Bernau

Brandenburg's oldest children's film festival

The Children's Film Festival in the State of Brandenburg has been touring Brandenburg cities every year since 1999, bringing high-quality children's cinema to the region. Bernau bei Berlin is one of the festival's most important stops — the Stadthalle Bernau on Hussitenstraße becomes the grand cinema hall for two weeks. In 2026, the 27th edition will run in Bernau from September 21 to October 6 — an unusually long duration for a film festival, showing how many schools and youth groups utilize the festival.

Cinema as a place of education

The city's youth coordinator formulates the program's understanding as follows: "Thanks to the educational support from youth leisure facilities, the Children's Film Festival is far more than a cultural experience — it is a valuable place of learning." Indeed, the festival goes far beyond classic cinema:

• Morning school screenings: entire classes attend, watch films on educational topics, and then discuss them with film educators
• Educational materials for teachers
• Discussions with directors and filmmakers
• Workshops on film language and media literacy
• Public evening screenings for families
• Age-appropriate film program from 4 to 14 years old

What's showing in 2026

The exact program for 2026 will be released by the festival in the summer of 2026. Based on the concept of previous editions, the following are expected:

• Current European children's films (German, French, Dutch, Scandinavian productions)
• Short film programs for the little ones
• Documentary films for children
• Animations from various countries
• Films on topics such as environment, friendship, family, courage

Bernau bei Berlin — the Hussite City

Bernau bei Berlin is a growing district town in the Barnim district, directly on the northern outskirts of Berlin. The S-Bahn line S2 connects the city to Berlin Hbf in 35 minutes. Bernau is known for its almost completely preserved medieval city wall, the Hussite Wars (city name "Hussite City"), and the adjacent UNESCO World Heritage site Bundesschule Bernau by Bauhaus architects Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer. Visitors to the film festival can also experience a compact piece of Brandenburg history.

Different from a multiplex

The festival is non-commercial and emphasizes quality, meaningful children's cinema — very different from Hollywood family blockbusters. Here, children see films that are rarely found in regular cinemas. Spending a Sunday afternoon at the festival with your children offers a taste of sophisticated children's culture, such as only a few federal states provide.