The 34th edition of Kinofest Lünen (16–22 June) will open with the German premiere of The Disappearance of Josef Mengele [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kirill Serebrennikov
scheda film] by Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov. Fresh from its world premiere at Cannes, the film will be presented in the presence of Serebrennikov and lead actor August Diehl. The screening will launch the competition for the Lüdia Audience Award.

“This intense film noir, with a remarkable performance by August Diehl, brings an extraordinary artistic vision to Lünen,” stated Sonja Hofmann and Nikolaj Nikitin, respectively the festival director and managing director. This marks a significant milestone for the event, now organised for the first time by the city of Lünen in collaboration with Fromm & Redeker GmbH.

A highlight of this year's edition will be the NIKE Honorary Award ceremony for actor, musician and writer Ulrich Tukur. The €10,000 prize, donated by REMONDIS, will be awarded during the closing ceremony on 22 June. Tukur will be honoured with screenings of Ido Fluk’s Köln 75 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ido Fluk
scheda film] and Original Bliss [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sven Taddicken
scheda film], the latter to be presented in the presence of director Sven Taddicken.

In addition to the Lüdia and Rakete Awards, the 2025 festival will also include a competition for short films and one to weigh up the best acting performance, judged by a jury that includes actor Godehard Giese and director Nana Neul. A new addition this year is the CinePostproduction Film Distribution Award, a €6,000 in-kind prize awarded to a distributor for a film in the Lüdia competition. In total, the festival will hand out €42,000 in prizes.

The Kinofest Spezial section will include Petra Kelly – Act Now! by Doris Metz, winner of the German Film Award, with a discussion featuring Berivan Aymaz, Vice-President of the State Parliament.

The festival also features a dedicated industry programme, including panels on the current German Film Funding Act and support for emerging talent, with FFA board member Peter Dinges among the guests.

More details and programme updates can be found here.