The 39th Braunschweig International Film Festival (BIFF) has come to a successful close. Once again this year, the BIFF was delighted to welcome thousands of viewers to the cinemas - many events were completely sold out. Both the audience and the festival's international guests were enthusiastic and had high praise for the festival.
"We can look back on another great festival week," said a delighted Karina Gauerhof, Artistic Director, after the 39th Braunschweig International Film Festival came to a successful close. "The positive feedback from the audience confirmed that we once again succeeded in putting on a great festival this year. Special thanks therefore go to our dedicated festival team, without whom this festival would not have been possible."
The BIFF was also delighted with the positive response from international guests. "Once again this year, we were delighted to welcome a large number of national and international guests: from EUROPA Award winner Sandra Hüller and Irish actress Jessica Reynolds to musician David Keenan and Czech-Vietnamese director Dužan Duong," reports Florence Houdin, Chairwoman of the Board of the Braunschweig International Film Festival.
Rising audience numbers and cultural exchange
The positive feedback is also reflected in the number of visitors this year: "This year, we welcomed an incredible 25,000 visitors to cinema screenings, special events during the festival as well as events and collaborations throughout the year," says Anke Hagenbüchner-Sobiech, Festival Director and Head of Festival Organization.
This year's opening film concert got off to a successful start with more than 1,600 guests in the Volkswagen Halle in Braunschweig. "The number of spectators makes it clear that people appreciate and enjoy the BIFF as a place for cultural exchange and encounters - which means that Lower Saxony's largest festival also has an impact well beyond the borders of Lower Saxony. This dialog and exchange are particularly important in these current, challenging times," reports Thorsten Rinke, Chairman of the Board of the Braunschweig International Film Festival.
The aim of bringing the festival and thus also the cinema back to a younger audience has also been successful. "The festival is appealing to more and more younger people, and that's what we want. We want to bring young people into the cinemas, and with a strong program of young European up-and-coming filmmakers, we have achieved this," says Rinke enthusiastically.
Contract extension of the main sponsor Volkswagen Financial Services
Anthony Bandmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), also had warm words for the festival: "What I personally like is the diversity represented at the festival," said Bandmann. "The topic of promoting young talent is also particularly important for companies like Volkswagen Financial Services. We live from young talent, we live from young talent. And when I was able to observe the energy and motivation behind the young filmmakers today, I find it fascinating," says Bandmann.
"Next year is the 40th anniversary of the Braunschweig International Film Festival and the 30th anniversary of the cooperation with VWFS. And we look forward to being there again next year and celebrating this milestone anniversary together," says Bandmann, announcing the extension of the partnership between the BIFF and VWFS.
"Next year, guests can once again look forward to an outstanding opening film concert. But we will also put together another great program for the festival week, which will be at least as strong as this year," explains Thorsten Rinke. The date for the anniversary edition has already been set: the Braunschweig International Film Festival will take place from November 9 to 15, 2026. "We are delighted that this year's festival went so well and are therefore full of energy and enthusiasm for planning the big anniversary," says Karina Gauerhof.