72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, 28 April – 3 May 2026

The Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen goes to Croatia
24 prizes with a total value of just under 45,000 euros awarded

On 3 May 2026, the 72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen came to a close with the awards ceremony at the Lichtburg Filmpalast in Oberhausen. The big winner was the Croatian production “Opera” by Igor Zelić, which not only won the festival’s top prize, the Grand Prix of the City of Oberhausen, but also the First Prize of the Jury of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the FIPRESCI Prize awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics. Dagie Brundert won the Prize of the German Competition for her film “Audry Lornacle or 14 Days in DJ’s House”. A total of 21 prizes were awarded across four competitions on 3 May. The three MuVi Award prizes had already been presented on Saturday, 2 May. In total, Oberhausen awarded just under 45,000 euros in prize money.

The Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, worth 8,000 euros and awarded in the International Competition, went this year to the Croatian director Igor Zelić for Opera, an experimental study of light, space and perception. The film also won the first prize of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the international film critics’ FIPRESCI Prize. An “ode to cinema and the drama of life”, was the verdict of the International Jury.

The International Jury awarded its main prize, worth 4,000 euros, to the Chinese experimental film Hei Dong Dong (Dark Channel) by Yu Zhe “for the transformation of an everyday space into a work of art through the power of cinematic observation”. The film also received a special mention from the Ministry of Culture and Science.

In the Prize of the German Competition, worth 5,000 euros, went to Dagie Brundert for Audry Lornacle or 14 Days in DJ’s House. Brundert, who has been working with Super 8 for many years, documents a two-week stay at Derek Jarman’s cottage on the English coast. “A delightful dream story, whose […] cinematic form is underpinned by her personal narrative and her uniquely creative handling of the film material,” the jury remarked.

The 3sat Emerging Talent Prize in the German Competition, worth 2,500 euros, was won by Syrian-born Shehab Fatoum for Catacombs, which tells the story of an escape with allusions to the Odyssey: “A film that shifts perspectives because its standpoint wavers. It […] tells of the impossibility of returning to a ‘before’ – and in doing so broadens not only the scope of the German Competition, but also our view of Germany itself,” the jury stated.

In the NRW Competition, the first prize of 1,000 euros went to Miri Klischat for The Garden of Edie. A biographical account of Edie, who wanted to be a writer even as a child and fulfils her dream – by working as a sex worker. “The courageous break with conventions and standardised ways of life leads to the discovery of one’s own sexuality and one’s own voice,” the jury stated.

In the Children’s and Youth Film Competition, the Children’s Jury awarded its €1,000 prize, sponsored by WBO Oberhausen, to the British production Under The Wave off Little Dragon by Luo Jian, the story of a girl of Chinese descent living in Wales. The evo Prize of the Children’s Jury, also worth €1,000 and sponsored by the main sponsor of the Children’s and Youth Cinema, went to the Israeli animation Ha Tzel Sheli Ve Ani (My Shadow and I) by Yali Herbet, the story of a little boy who finds a wonderful friend on the beach.

The Prize of the Youth Jury, also worth 1,000 euros and sponsored by the Rotary Club Oberhausen, went to the US production BEI KUN ZHU DE GOU (A Dog in a Trap) by Xinying Lao, the story of a Chinese teenager who escapes the relentless pressure of the system in an unusual way. In addition, the Youth Jury awarded its SURPRISE. Prize for the most surprising film, also worth €1,000 and sponsored by Methode Film, to the Indian-German co-production Mappillai (The Groom), a feature film that tackles the issue of child marriage in a truly surprising way.

From Sunday 3 May at 10 pm CEST until Monday 4 May at 10 pm CEST, all award-winning films can be viewed online at www.kurzfilmtage.de; access is free upon registration.

The full list of all award winners is available to download as a PDF here.

Oberhausen, 3 May 2026

Press contact: Sabine Niewalda, phone +49 (0)208 825-3073, niewalda@kurzfilmtage.de