Talks and Panels

The Filmtage Breakfast Club is the ideal start to the festival day – informal, approachable, full of energy. After a brief outlook on the day, festival director Thorsten Schaumann will provide insights into films, guests and formats and offer orientation in the packed programme.

But the Breakfast Club is more than just a briefing: it is a meeting place for filmmakers, industry representatives and interested parties. Over coffee, initial conversations, contacts and questions arise. The open atmosphere invites you to hear voices from the industry and dive directly into the festival flow. It is a door opener, especially for new guests: you get to know faces, experience current discussions and find comrades-in-arms for festival experiences. If you come regularly, you can feel how an inspiring festival rhythm is created.

The Clubgespräche (club discussions) have been a centrepiece of the Hof International Film Festival for many years. Filmmakers present their premiere films here and provide direct insights into development, teamwork or screenplay work. Instead of theory, it's about concrete experiences: What worked, what hurdles were there, how were they solved?

This creates transparency from which everyone benefits. At the same time, the conversations open up a view beyond individual productions: What topics move the industry, which aesthetics shape them, which production methods have a future? If you are looking for inspiration, want to reflect on your work or are in the mood for real exchange instead of mere representation, this is the right place for you. The club talks are a place of learning and space for questions that are otherwise rarely asked.

The Branchendialog (industry dialogue) is aimed at all those who not only make film, but also think about the entire production and distribution reality. Here, central topics are negotiated: financing, festivals, interfaces between cinema, television and streaming, as well as questions of sustainability, inclusion and diversity – often using concrete film examples from different trades.

The focus is on practical questions: How do you make projects internationally compatible? Which subsidies apply? How are distributors and broadcasters reacting? Experienced professionals are invited to share their expertise, but also young talent who brings fresh perspectives to the table. This mixture creates lively debates from practice for practice. The industry dialogue is a place for exchange, impulses and contacts – and a space in which the future of the industry is negotiated.

At the Leinwandgeflüster (screen chatter), the festival becomes a live podcast: Our hosts talk to guests about films, experiences and impressions directly from Hof. Recorded in front of an audience, the format combines spontaneity with closeness – here personal voices meet current festival themes.

Those who listen not only get insights into the productions and their backgrounds, but also experience the mood of the day. Leinwandgeflüster is thus more than a podcast: a lively space for exchange, reflection and surprising perspectives - and a piece of the festival to take home.

When the screen goes dark, the Night Talk begins. The festival night will be opened with a drink and changing guests. Filmmakers, industry representatives and audiences come together without a script, but with many stories.

Topics arise from the impressions of the day: Which films surprised? What questions move the scene? It's about honest reflections instead of official statements. In a relaxed atmosphere, conversations arise that would otherwise not be possible – direct, personal and open. For industry guests, the Night Talk is ideal for deepening contacts and continuing discussions that were only touched upon during the day. In this way, it becomes a space in which the festival reverberates and new impulses grow – between cinema and night, analysis and conviviality.