72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, April 28 – May 3, 2026
The Grand Prix of the City of Oberhausen goes to Croatia
24 prizes with a total value of almost 45.000 euros were awarded.
The 72nd Oberhausen International Short Film Festival concluded on May 3, 2026, with the awards ceremony at the Lichtburg Cinema in Oberhausen. The big winner was the Croatian production "Opera" by Igor Zelic, which not only won the festival's main prize, the Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, but also the first prize from the jury of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the FIPRESCI Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics. The German Competition Prize went to Dagie Brundert for her film "Audry Lornacle or 14 Days in DJ's House." A total of 21 prizes were awarded across four competitions on May 3. The three MuVi Prizes had already been awarded on Saturday, May 2. The festival awarded nearly €45.000 in prize money in total.
The Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, endowed with 8.000 euros and awarded in the International Competition, went this year to Croatian director Igor Zelic for Opera, an experimental study of light, space, and perception. The film also won first prize from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the FIPRESCI Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics. The International Jury described it as "an ode to cinema and the drama of life."
The International Jury awarded its main prize, worth 4.000 euros, to the Chinese experimental film Hei Dong Dong (Dark Channel) by Yu Zhe "for transforming an everyday space into a work of art through the power of cinematic observation." The film also received an Honorable Mention from the Ministry of Culture and Science.
In the German competition, the main prize, worth 5.000 euros, went to Dagie Brundert for *Audry Lornacle or 14 Days in DJ's House*. Brundert, who has worked with Super 8 film for many years, documents a two-week stay at Derek Jarman's cottage on the English coast. "A delightful dreamlike novella, whose cinematic form is carried by her personal narrative and her uniquely creative handling of the film material," the jury stated.
The 3sat Young Talent Award in the German Competition, endowed with 2.500 euros, was won by Syrian-born Shehab Fatoum for Catacombs, which deals with the story of an escape with allusions to the Odyssey: “A film that shifts perspectives because its standpoint is shaky. It […] tells of the impossibility of returning to a before – and thus broadens not only the German Competition, but also the view of Germany itself,” was the jury's reasoning.
In the North Rhine-Westphalia competition, the first prize, worth 1.000 euros, went to Miri Klischat for *The Garden of Edie*. It's a biographical story about Edie, who wanted to be a writer from childhood and fulfills her dream by working as a sex worker. "The courageous break with conventions and standardized lifestyles leads to the discovery of one's own sexuality and one's own voice," the jury stated.
The children's jury awarded its €1.000 prize in the children's and youth film competition, sponsored by WBO Oberhausen, to the British production *Under the Wave of Little Dragon* by Luo Jian, the story of a girl of Chinese descent living in Wales. The children's jury's evo prize, also endowed with €1.000 by the main sponsor of the children's and youth cinema, went to the Israeli animation *Ha Tzel Sheli Ve Ani* (My Shadow and I) by Yali Herbet, about a little boy who finds a wonderful friend on the beach.
The Youth Jury Prize, also endowed with €1.000 and sponsored by the Rotary Club Oberhausen, went to the US production BEI KUN ZHU DE GOU (A Dog in a Trap) by Xinying Lao, the story of a Chinese teenager who escapes the relentless pressure of the system in an unusual way. The Youth Jury also awarded its SURPRISE Prize, also endowed with €1.000 and sponsored by Methode Film, for the most surprising film, to the Indian-German co-production Mappillai (The Bridegroom), a feature film that addresses the topic of child marriage in a truly surprising way.
The complete list of all award winners is available as a PDF download. here are available to support you.
Press contact:
International Short Film Festival, Sabine Niewalda, Grillostr. 34, 46045 Oberhausen, Tel. +49 (0)208 825-3073, E-Mail: niewalda@kurzfilmtage.de