HoF Never Stops. We Just Keep Going Elsewhere!

The 60th Hof International Film Festival (IHFF) may be over, but the stories live on. At festivals, on screens, on stage, in our hearts and minds – and sometimes even in a coffee tin. 

The numbers: 136 films from 30 countries, around 15,300 cinema tickets sold – up three percent from last year –, 800 accredited guests, 6,200 film views on HoF on Demand, and the most incredible team anyone could wish for. Add 12 film awards worth around €75,000, 1.3 million Instagram views, and countless encounters that will stay with us. Want to relive some of the magic? Head over to our media library for a trip down memory lane. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who makes HoF what it is! 

Just how deeply stories can move us beyond the big screen became clear on November 9 at Theater Hof, where a staged reading of ICH, DIE FINSTERNIS! (took place as part of a nationwide initiative commemorating the November 1938 pogroms. On the eve of the 60th IHF, Florian Stetter and Samuel Spieß had already brought Carsten Degenhardt's powerful story to life at our festival center (watch it again here). His short film PROLOGUE TO THE DARKNESS premiered at the 59th IHFF in 2025. 

Now, from darkness to coffee tins – only at HoF!  

This Friday the 13th at 6 PM (CET), I invite you to join me for Apéro Break on Insta Live @thorstenschaumann, together with the rolling mothers duo Alexander Peskador and Paul Hartmann. Their wonderfully twisted horror comedy ROLLING MOTHER has been collecting awards like there's no tomorrow: the Pharos Shiver Screen Award in Hof, the Short Film Beaver in Biberach, and the Méliès d'argent in Trieste. So many awards, one coffee tin – a Friday just the way Mother likes it… I mean, just the way I like it! Tune in, raise a glass, and join the fun! 

Afterwards, the mothers roll over to the 45th Festival of Future Storytellers, which opens in Munich that very same Friday. And what a festival reunion it will be! Our HoFies are out in force, with VATERLAND OR A BULE NAMED YANTOby Berthold Wahjudi, ADEMI by Zhamilya, THE SWIMSUIT by Amina Krami, and SEA SKIN by Selena Goedeke Tort. If you're in Munich, don't miss it! 

And on Monday, November 16, all our fingers will be crossed for Jan Eilhardt and the team behind BAD LUCK! After celebrating its world premiere at the 59th IHF in 2025, the film is now nominated for the German Short Film Award 2026.  

The sparks keep flying. 

Have a wonderful time – preferably at the movies! 

Yours, Thorsten Schaumann 
Artistic Director 
Hof International Film Festival