Cologne’s film festivals 2026: popcorn, premieres and big screen buzz

These film festivals bring fresh ideas, strong voices and global themes to Cologne. Here’s what’s on the film festival calendar in 2026.

Dates at a glance

• Stranger Than Fiction: 23 January – 1 February 2026
• IFF – Frauen Film Fest (International Women’s Film Festival): 22 – 26 April 2026
• Kino Nächte (Cinema Nights): 28 – 31 May 2026
• SEE THE SOUND: 15 – 19 July 2026
• Queerfilmfestival Köln (Cologne Queer Film Festival): September 2026
• Afrika Film Festival Köln (Cologne Africa Film Festival): 17 – 27 September 2026
• Film Festival Cologne: 29 October – 5 November 2026
• Kurzfilmfestival Köln (Cologne Short Film Festival): 24 – 29 November 2026

Stranger Than Fiction (ran until 1 February 2026)

Winter is still in our bones, steam rises from underground stations and inside Cologne’s cinemas, the world begins to vibrate. Stranger Than Fiction opened the festival year with documentaries that challenge and unsettle. The opening film was “NONNA“, a tender homage by emerging Cologne director Vincent Graf to his grandmother. Also on the programme this year were a film exploring global snow and ice melt, and another investigating Elon Musk and the Tesla Files. With its wide range of topics, the festival, which takes place across several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia and ran in Cologne until 1 February at Filmhaus Kino and Filmforum NRW, reliably sparked lively conversations in the foyer.

IFF – Frauen Film Fest (International Women’s Film Festival) (22 – 26 April 2026)

For more than 40 years, the Internationale Frauen Film Fest Dortmund+Cologne (IFF) (International Women’s Film Festival) has placed women directors and gender-diverse voices at the centre of its programme – not as a quota, but as a principle. Alongside screenings and panel discussions, the festival raises key questions: Who gets to tell stories? How is power represented? Which aesthetics break with established routines? This is a place where you don’t just watch films, but also discover names you’ll want to remember.

Venues: The festival takes place in Dortmund and Cologne. In Cologne, screenings are held at Odeon Kino, Filmhaus Kino, Cineplex Cologne, Filmforum NRW and the KHM Aula.

Tickets: Ticket sales usually start around one month before the festival via the official website. During festival week, tickets are also available at the festival centre and at the venues around 30 minutes before each screening. Prices for 2026 have not yet been announced. In the previous year, single tickets cost 9 euros, with a reduced price of 6 euros.

Kino Nächte (Cinema Nights) (28 – 31 May 2026)

Four short days with a lasting impact: Kino Nächte, Cologne’s cinema nights, feel like a cinematic springtime miracle. Over the course of a long weekend, previews and premieres with guest appearances meet film classics and curated short film programmes. Screenings take place at venues across the city, and after the films, cinephiles keep the conversations going late into the night. This is when cinema becomes the talk of the town.

Venues: Bürgerhaus Zollstock, Cinenova Kino, Filmforum NRW, Filmhaus Kino, Filmpalette, Italienisches Kulturinstitut, Schauspielhaus Open Air, Odeon, Odonien, Off Broadway, Weisshaus Kino, Rex am Ring (as of 2025).

Tickets: In previous years, both a combined festival ticket and single tickets were available. The combined ticket costs 18 euros plus a 2-euro advance booking fee. Single tickets could be purchased online and at the respective venues. Details for the 2026 festival have not been announced yet.

SEE THE SOUND (15 – 19 July 2026)

Just before the summer holidays, cinema meets sound: SEE THE SOUND turns Cologne into a stage for music films of all genres. Alongside the film programme, the festival also brings music to life beyond the screen – including the award ceremony of “SoundTrack_Cologne 23”, with a live performance on 17 July at the COMEDIA Theater. Another highlight is the award for Best Music Documentary, celebrating films that explore music culture from fresh and often unexpected angles. Recent standouts have included “One to One: John & Yoko”, “Blur: To the End” and the award-winning “We Are Fugazi from Washington”.

Venues: Screenings are expected to take place at Odeon, Lichtspiele Kalk, Filmhaus Kino, O-Ton and the COMEDIA Theater Köln.

Tickets: In previous years, tickets were available online for 8 euros per screening. Information on ticket sales and prices for the 2026 edition has not yet been announced.

Queerfilmfestival Köln (Cologne Queer Film Festival) (10 – 16 September 2026)

Late summer, warm light in the streets and Cologne shows off its most colourful side. For the eighth time, the Queerfilmfestival brings some of the year’s strongest non-heteronormative films to the big screen, including stops in Cologne. From poetic coming-of-age stories to sharp political documentaries, the programme moves confidently between intimacy and activism. It’s a festival about visibility, representation and bold cinematic voices and one that speaks to far more than just queer audiences.

Venues: Screenings take place at Filmhaus Kino and Filmpalette in Cologne.

Tickets: Tickets are available online and at the participating cinemas. Information on ticket prices has not yet been announced.

Afrika Film Festival Köln (Cologne Africa Film Festival) (17 – 27 September 2026)

The Africa Film Festival brings perspectives from across the entire African continent to Cologne – contemporary, many-voiced and far beyond familiar narratives. And it takes its time. Over 10 days, audiences encounter film languages that rethink genre boundaries and open up new ways of seeing. What else is on the programme? A diverse selection of current feature films and documentaries from Africa and the diaspora, alongside Q&As with directors and cast members, panel discussions, workshops, short film programmes and special screenings.

Venues: Venues for the 2026 festival have not yet been announced. In previous years, screenings took place at Filmforum NRW and Rex am Ring, among others.

Tickets: Tickets will be available via the festival website and rausgegangen.de. Further information will be announced in due course.

Film Festival Cologne (29 October – 5 November 2026)

Film Festival Cologne is one of Germany’s most important platforms for international films and series and ranks among the country’s largest film festivals, welcoming around 30,000 visitors each year. The programme brings together audiences and industry professionals alike, combining high-profile premieres with curated screenings and the Film Festival Cologne Awards, where several film and series prizes are presented. Alongside the screenings, the festival hosts conferences, workshops and panel discussions, striking a balance between entertainment and industry insight. With a bit of luck, visitors may even cross paths with international stars – past guests have included Isabelle Huppert and Robert Pattinson.

Venues: The festival will announce its Cologne venues with the programme. In previous years, screenings took place at various cinemas across the city.

Tickets: Tickets are usually available online via the festival website as well as at participating cinemas. Prices and festival passes are published together with the full programme.

Kurzfilmfestival Köln (Cologne Short Film Festival) (24 – 29 November 2024)

The Kurzfilmfestival Köln is your compass through the world of short films: from powerful documentaries and offbeat fiction to animation, experimental films and music videos. Audiences can explore curated programme sections and competitions, often accompanied by Q&As where directors speak directly about ideas, production and background. Expect surprising stories, fresh perspectives and that unmistakable “wow, this is what film can be” feeling – condensed into six intense festival days.

Venues: In recent years, screenings took place at Filmhaus Kino, Filmforum NRW, Lichtspiele Kalk, Päff, Temporary Gallery and Off Broadway. Venues for the 2026 edition have not yet been announced.

Tickets: The programme for the 20th edition of KFFK will be published in early November, with tickets available online from that point. In previous years, a festival pass (five-ticket bundle) cost 35 euros, while single tickets ranged from 4 to 12 euros. Tickets for the children’s programme and the festival party were priced at 5 euros.