Creating (and) Confusion: Berlinale Talents explores cinema, chaos and discomfort
- A total of 200 selected filmmakers will take part in this year’s edition, engaging in workshops, talks and labs, while new initiatives spotlight alumni projects, shorts and sustainable filmmaking
Between 13 and 18 February, Berlinale Talents will welcome to Berlin 200 filmmakers hailing from 120 countries for a series of workshops, talks and public discussions around the theme “Creating (and) Confusion — Cinema, Chaos and the Power of Discomfort”. This 2026 edition will also introduce an alumni lab, the new Dream Makers short film competition, and the sixth edition of the Mastercard Enablement Programme.
Berlinale Talents is part of one of the world’s largest and most active film networks, with over 10,000 alumni worldwide. The Talents come from 15 fields of filmmaking, spanning directing, screenwriting, producing, cinematography, editing, sound, VR and animation, reflecting Berlinale Talents’ long-standing commitment to diversity, equality and international collaboration. This year’s participants (110 female, 81 male, three non-binary and six who preferred not to say) were selected from 3,438 applicants whose work spans urgent contemporary issues, activism and innovative storytelling approaches, and has in certain cases gained international recognition.
Spotlit Talents include Sudanese actor, singer and activist Eiman Yousif, who combines artistry with campaigns against HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence, and who’s known for her breakout role in Goodbye Julia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohamed Kordofani
film profile] (winner of the Freedom Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section); Taiwan-based animation and VR director Hsin Hsuan Yeh, whose latest immersive work, Sense of Nowhere, premiered in Venice Immersive 2025; Cuban director and passionate educator David Bim, who devoted eight years to his documentary debut To the West, in Zapata [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Italian screenwriter and educator Marco Borromei, whose films Small Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Samani
film profile] and We’ll Be Young and Beautiful [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Letizia Lamartire
film profile] have screened in Cannes’ Critics’ Week and Venice’s International Critics' Week respectively; Berlin-based Aslı Özarslan, whose Elbow [+see also:
film review
interview: Aslı Özarslan
film profile] premiered in the Generation 14plus line-up in 2024, and Nepali costume designer Janaki Kadayat, who’s worked on projects selected in festivals ranging from San Sebastián to Venice and Busan, including Pooja, Sir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Deepak Rauniyar, Asha Magrati
film profile]. The full 2026 Berlinale Talents selection can be found here.
The Talent Project Market will spotlight ten alumni projects seeking international co-production partners via the Berlinale Co-Production Market, reinforcing global collaboration and showcasing the next generation of cinematic voices (see the news).
For the first time, Berlinale Talents will host the Berlinale Talents Lab, bringing back 20 alumni projects across fiction, documentary, animation and experimental forms. The Lab will provide a collaborative environment for refining creative visions and accelerating production. Participants will engage in tailored one-on-one and group mentoring sessions to strengthen story structures, explore new formats, and secure potential co-production or financing partners. The Lab will conclude with public presentations for talents, audiences, and industry representatives. The full list of projects can be found here.
Returning for its sixth edition, the Mastercard Enablement Programme supports sustainable, cinema-focused initiatives by alumni which have a positive impact on their communities. The 2026 jury includes actor, writer, director, and producer Lamin Leroy Gibba (Dogfriend, Black Fruit), director and Berlinale Talents alumna Mala Reinhardt (The Second Attack, Familiar Places), and vice president of Marketing Communications for Mastercard DACH Maximilian Floegel. The jury will select two fellows whose film-related initiatives, networks or platforms are an example of inclusivity and social impact.
New to 2026, The Dream Makers line-up is an international short film competition organised by CUPRA in collaboration with Studio Babelsberg, Berlinale Talents and the Berlin International Film Festival, which is designed to support emerging filmmakers with full production funding (€180,000–€250,000), mentoring and festival access. The jury consists of actor Daniel Brühl, director and producer JA Bayona, Marcus Loges (managing director, Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures), Ignacio Prieto (SEAT & CUPRA chief brand officer) and Berlinale festival director Tricia Tuttle.
Berlinale Talents continues to be a key platform within Berlinale Pro, alongside the European Film Market, the Berlinale Co-Production Market and the World Cinema Fund, serving as an incubator and promoter of the global film industry across all stages of development, production, sales and distribution.
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