About the festival

For over 45 years, the Max Ophuels Film Festival has been dedicated to presenting and promoting emerging German-language filmmaking. As the leading festival for German-language talent film, it offers filmmakers from Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland a renowned stage to launch their careers. In Saarbrücken, filmmakers get the chance to show their work to a full house and the assembled industry. For one week every January, Saarbrücken transforms into one of the most important meeting points for the entire German-language film scene.

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Oliver Dietze / ffmop

Who is the festival for - and what does it offer different audiences? 

• FILM LOVERS

Curious about where German-language cinema is headed? This is where you'll find it — a curated lineup that steers clear of the mainstream, for audiences of every age. Every screening is followed by a Q&A, so you'll get to hear directly from the people who made the films.

• FILMMAKERS

At the heart of the festival is German-language talent film. For filmmakers from German-speaking countries, an invitation to the Max Ophuels Film Festival marks a significant step in their professional career. The festival offers the most prestigious launchpad for careers in the German-language film industry, the chance to show their work to a full house and the assembled industry, and direct contact with numerous industry representatives.

• INDUSTRY

With its extensive industry program MOP-Industry, the festival has been a key meeting point for film industry professionals for over a decade. It offers a compact program of discussions, workshops, and networking events, along with direct access to tomorrow's emerging talent.

What's on the program?

At the heart of the festival are four competitions:

• Feature Film
• Documentary Film
• Mid-length Film
• Short Film

These competitions are complemented by additional, non-competitive film series and special programs, such as guest programs from partner festivals, tribute and homage series for filmmakers, or collaborations like the KURZ.FILM.TOUR and the children's and youth program curated specially for the festival.

There is also an extensive supporting program featuring networking events and other exciting happenings, such as the parties at Festival Club Lolas Bistro or the grand award ceremony.

Who was Max Ophuels?

Max Ophuels, the festival's namesake, was an internationally celebrated theater and film director. Born Max Oppenheimer in Saarbrücken in 1902, he died in Hamburg in 1957.

Young Max Oppenheimer grew up in a liberal, upper-middle-class Jewish household and saw his first film screening at a fairground in 1906. Against his father's wishes for him to pursue a career in business, Max Oppenheimer became an actor and director. To protect the family name, he adopted the pseudonym Max Ophuels.