Nearly 800 submissions from over 85 countries were submitted for Zebra Poetry Film Festival 2026. A program committee selected 55 of them for the International Competition. This year, the following awards will be presented on Sunday, June 7 by the three-member jury consisting of Irina Bondas (selection team Berlinale Forum), Katrin Küchler (editor at MDR – unicato), and Odile Kennel (poet): the “Zebra Award for Best Poetry Film”, presented by Haus für Poesie; the “Goethe Film Award – The Art of Utopia”, presented by the Goethe-Institut; and the “Ritter Sport Film Award”, presented by Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG.

Please note: The short film program also deals with topics such as violence, separation, loss and emotional stress. Some films contain explicit depictions and intense emotional scenes that can be disturbing.

Még | Still
HUN 2025 | 6 min | Director: Vivien Tóth | Poem: Still | Poet: Vivien Tóth

Tarde no Planeta | Late on the Planet
BRA 2025 | 5 min | Director: Julia Tonon | Poem: Tarde no Planeta | Poet: Leonardo Piana

Tu n'es pas fou Papi | You're not a Fool, Grandpa
FRA 2024 | 4 min | Director: Adrien Lhoste | Poem: Tu n’es pas fou Papi | Poet: Manon Colin

The Graffiti
JAP 2025 | 13 min | Director: Ryo Orikasa | Poem: Rakugaki (The Graffiti) | Poet: Makoto Takayanagi

Tumatawa, Umiiyake | Laughing and Crying
PHL 2024 | 9 min | Director: Che Tagyamon | Poem: Hamatreya | Poet: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Моя Бабуся Парашутистка | My Grandmother is a Skydiver
DEU 2024 | 10 min | Director: Polina Piddubna | Poem: Марево (Marevo) | Poet: Yurii Lishchuk

Following the film screenings, there will be Q&As with the filmmakers and poets.

Moderation Gian-Philip Andreas    

OmeU