For 16 years now, this hFMA project has been the most important platform for showcasing up and coming filmmaking talents from Hessen in an international context: students at four Hessian universities in Darmstadt, Kassel, Offenbach and Wiesbaden which teach filmmaking present their graduation and seminar films to the international film industry as part of the Berlinale’s European Film Market (EFM) – and 2025 is no different!

For last year’s 15^th anniversary, we already significantly expanded the project by providing the participating students with festival accreditations to allow them to take a deep dive into the festival world. As part of an excursion with intensive guidance, they can attend film screenings and events from all sections of the Berlinale together with their professors and reflect on what they’ve seen and learnt as well as the different facets of the cinema sector ranging from the film industry to film culture in daily discussion groups. A whole series of exclusively organised master classes with international directors and producers presenting films at this year’s Berlinale enable the Hessen Talents to enter into direct exchange with the most successful and innovative filmmakers of the moment.

A public screening of the Hessen Talents short film programme of 14 selected films at fsk Kino in Berlin rounds off the programme. And with a new website and social media channels, Hessen Talents also has a whole new look!

Borjana Gaković, Project Manager of Hessen Talents 2025

Prof. Alexander Herzog, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences

Prof. Angelika Levi, University of Art and Design Offenbach am Main

Prof. Jan Peters, Kunsthochschule Kassel

Prof. Tom Schreiber, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Wiesbaden