19/02/2026 - The achievement highlights the public value of regional film funding and the cultural exception

The CineRegio plenary meeting at the Berlinale (© CineRegio)

Members of the regional film and audiovisual fund network CineRegio have backed 48 titles at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, underlining once again the essential role of regional public funding in sustaining European cultural diversity and audiovisual excellence. The selection demonstrates the importance of regionally rooted storytelling and public film funding in internationally orientated auteur cinema, as well as a long-term commitment to nurturing diverse talents and ideas that will shape European culture for years to come.

The 48 supported titles span all major sections of the festival, including six films in Competition, 19 titles in Panorama (17 fiction and two documentaries), and six films in Generation, alongside strong representation across Berlinale Special Gala, Series, Shorts and Forum.

Panorama represents the strongest strand, with CineRegio members supporting 68% of the fiction features in this section. It is also noteworthy that CineRegio-backed projects are present in key festival highlights, including the opening film of the Berlinale, as well as the opening movies of Panorama and Generation14plus.

The figures also demonstrate the strength of the European co-production model. For example, the Competition film Rose [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Markus Schleinzer is supported by four CineRegio members - MOIN Film Fund, Filmfonds Wien, Lower Austrian Film Fund and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) - while No Good Men [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Shahrbanoo Sadat is backed by Film i Väst, MOIN Film Fund and Paris Region Film & AV Fund. Such cross-regional collaboration reflects a uniquely European funding ecosystem that enables ambitious and culturally diverse works to be realised.

Charlotte Appelgren, general secretary of CineRegio, comments: "The strong visibility of CineRegio-backed titles at the Berlinale reaffirms the continued relevance of the concept of the cultural exception in European cultural policy, which recognises film and audiovisual works as cultural expressions, rather than purely market goods. Regional film funds play a decisive role in safeguarding this cultural exception in practice. By supporting locally rooted stories, emerging talents and cross-border co-productions, they contribute directly to a pluralistic European audiovisual landscape that cannot be sustained by market forces alone. In this context, regional public funding is not only an economic tool, but also a cultural policy instrument that protects creative diversity and democratic cultural expression across Europe. In times like these, cultural diversity and European social cohesion are more important than ever. Establishing and maintaining strong film regions in Europe creates public value for citizens – locally, regionally and internationally."