On Friday, 23 October 2026, the PHAROS SHIVER SCREEN AWARD will be presented at the 60th Hof International Film Festival. First awarded in 2022, this internationally oriented prize recognises outstanding short films and first and second feature-length films in the genres of thriller, horror, action, science fiction and related fields. The award carries a cash prize of €2,500 and is sponsored by PHAROS – The Post Group and The Playmaker Munich.
In addition to the prize money, the award includes mentoring with the option of securing worldwide distribution rights through The Playmaker Munich, a first look at the worldwide distribution of a planned feature film project, and the possibility of a co-production with Media Services. The award also promotes networking with potential distributors.
By combining financial support, professional guidance and concrete opportunities, the award provides valuable support for filmmakers who enrich genre cinema with fresh ideas and distinctive artistic visions.
This year, 18 films – feature-length and short films – from numerous countries have been nominated for the award:
- AGNËS by Nora Arnezeder (France, 15 min.)
- CARPE DIEM by Anca Miruna Lăzărescu (Germany, filmed using AI, 9 min.)
- CHÈRI ON TOP by Liselotte Séchet (Germany, 10 min.)
- DAS INSTITUT FÜR KURZFRISTIGE WIEDERBELEBUNG ZUR AUFKLÄRUNG UNGEKLÄRTER ERBSCHAFTSANGELEGENHEITEN by Derik Rodrigues (Germany, 15 min.)
- DIE NASE – EIN FALL AUS DEM NICHTS by Nik Azad (Germany, 30 min.)
- DOSENMUTTER by Alexander Peskador (Germany, 25 min.)
- FATUM by Pim Vogels (Netherlands, 13 min.)
- FRIEDA by Felix Hassenfratz (Germany and Austria, 101 min.)
- GAVAGE by Aurélien Digard (France, 26 min.)
- GEKIJOBAN HONTO NI ATTA KOWAI HANASHI: ZOKUZOKU HEN NA MADORI by Hiroki Fujimoto (Japan, 86 min.)
- INTERIOR by Pascal Schuh (Germany, 96 min.)
- JARDINES DEL BOSQUE by Alex Barragán and Diego Barragán (Mexico, 91 min.)
- MELPOMÈNE by Charlotte Dauphin (France, 88 min.)
- PEAU À PEAU by Chloé Cinq-Mars (Canada and Switzerland, 102 min.)
- ROWING by Tobias Zürrer (Germany, 25 min.)
- STRUWWELPETER – WER NICHT HÖREN WILL, MUSS FÜHLEN by Moritz Schlögell (Germany, 18 min.)
- UNE AFFAIRE TURQUE by Hüseyin Aydin Gürsoy (France, 91 min.)
- LA VIOLINISTA by Ervin Han and Raúl García (Singapore, Spain and Italy, 113 min.)
The PHAROS SHIVER SCREEN AWARD will be decided by a three-member jury:
Benjamin Munz (producer and author), Saralisa Volm (director, actress and producer) and Tini Tüllmann (director and author).
The PHAROS SHIVER SCREEN AWARD ceremony will take place on Friday, 23 October 2026, at the Bürgergesellschaft.
For further information, please visit www.hofer-filmtage.com. The festival programme is available at app.hofer-filmtage.com.