Kinofest Lünen

35th Kinofest Lünen 2026 — German Film in One Place

From 1 to 7 June 2026, the Kinofest Lünen will take place for the 35th time — one of the most prestigious festivals for German-language film in the entire country. The city of Lünen has organized the event annually since 1990 in cooperation with the Filmstiftung NRW, WDR, and several industry partners. What began as a regional forum for filmmakers from Westphalia has developed into one of the most important festival stages for young and established German film.

Venues 2026 — Lünen Becomes a Festival City

• Heinz-Hilpert-Theater — Main venue for the opening, award ceremonies, and main competition
• Cineworld Lünen — Multiplex cinema with the most regular competition films
• Lükaz — Cultural center with short film program and discussion formats
• Open-Air Cinema Café Seepark — Three premiere screenings outdoors, with a view of the Lüner Stadtwerke lake

Program Highlights 2026

NIKE Award for Hape Kerkeling — Lifetime Achievement Award

The Honorary NIKE Award 2026 goes to Hape Kerkeling for his cinematic life's work. The award, endowed with €15,000, honors personalities who have made a lasting impact on German-language cinema. Kerkeling — comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker (“Ich bin dann mal weg”, “Der Junge muss an die frische Luft”) — will be present in person.

Premiere of Tatort Dortmund in the Open Air (5 June)

On Thursday, 5 June 2026, the premiere of Tatort Dortmund will be screened in the open-air cinema at Café Seepark — with the main cast and the directing team. Such live premieres are typically among the audience highlights of the festival.

Focus Austria

The annual Focus Country for 2026 is Austria. A dedicated program featuring current Austrian feature films, documentaries, and short films, as well as discussions with Austrian filmmakers, will bring the Viennese and Salzburg film scenes to Lünen.

Competitions

• Lüdia Award — Main competition for German-language feature films
• Short Film Competition — New talents from Germany, Austria, Switzerland
• Numerous NRW-funded productions are in the program — Lünen is a classic stage for films supported by Filmstiftung NRW
• Over 20 films over seven days

Ticket Information

• Single film tickets: €7–€10
• Opening gala with film: €30
• Award ceremonies: €20
• Open-air screenings at Seepark: free (collect free ticket in advance)
• Online tickets via kinofest-luenen.info/tickets or directly at the ZAKT cultural center (Münsterstraße 21, Lünen)

Lünen — Cinema City in the Ruhr Area

The city of Lünen, with around 86,000 inhabitants, is located in the Unna district, north of Dortmund. Long shaped by coal mining (Zeche Minister Achenbach), Lünen has reinvented itself during the structural change decades — with the Stadtwerke lake, Hansesaal, Heinz-Hilpert-Theater, and the ZAKT cultural center as cultural anchors. The Kinofest is Lünen's most internationally visible cultural event, making the city a meeting point for the German film industry for one week in June.

The NIKE — Historic Award

The NIKE is the main award of the Kinofest Lünen and has been presented to German-language filmmakers since the early years of the festival. The statuette depicts a modern interpretation of the Greek goddess of victory and is one of the most prestigious industry awards for German film. The Honorary NIKE is awarded to personalities for their life's work — previous recipients include Margarethe von Trotta and Hannelore Elsner.