Phantastisches Trashfilm-Festival Kassel

Europe's Oldest Trash Film Festival

The Phantastisches Trashfilm-Festival Kassel – known on its official website simply as „Der phantastische Trashfilm“ – has been the established platform for a very specific type of film since 2004: short, offbeat genre contributions from horror, sci-fi, comedy, fantasy, and thriller, made with minimal budget but maximum creativity. With its 21st edition in 2026, it is, by its own account, Europe's oldest continuously running trash film festival.

What is Trash Film?

The term "Trash" here is not a value judgment. It describes a film category between B-movies, indie horror, splatter comedy, and experimental genre cinema – films that play with clear genre codes, often with self-irony, sometimes absurd, occasionally disturbing. The festival programs around 42 films per edition, all with a maximum runtime of 30 minutes, submitted worldwide via FilmFreeway.

Three Days at the kleine bühne 70

The venue is the kleine bühne 70 at Jordanstraße 11 in Kassel-Mitte – an intimate theater with about 70 seats, with the entrance through the Theaterstübchen. This setting is part of its charm: no multiplex, but a small stage where films are shown between the theater curtain and the costume storage. This perfectly suits the genre.

Thursday = Creepy Thursday

The festival traditionally kicks off with Creepy Thursday: an evening full of horror and spooky films from the festival submissions, curated by intensity. Doors open at 7 PM, start at 8 PM. Anyone who wants to experience horror in its full spectrum – from atmospheric to splatter, from found footage to body horror – should come on Thursday.

Friday and Saturday – International Audience Award Competition

On Friday and Saturday, the international audience award competition takes place with German and international films from all genres. Doors open at 6 PM, start at 7 PM. The audience votes at the end; two audience awards are given – one for the best German film and one for the best international film. Filmmakers and the audience connect at info tables and during breaks.

Kassel as a Genre Film Location

Kassel, with its alternative cultural scene around Schlachthof, Sandershaus, and its documenta identity, is a fitting location for such a festival: not a major cinematic metropolis like Berlin, but with a loyal audience and enough of a student indie community to sustain a niche festival for 21 years.