Help Shape the Future of Berlin Film Week
Programming • Curation • Community • Partnerships

Join the Berlin Film Week Collective
Application deadline: Wednesday 1 July 2026
Start date: 1 September 2026 (one-year term, renewable)

Description:

Berlin Film Week is looking for Berlin-based filmmakers, programmers, producers, students, cultural workers, and cinema enthusiasts to help shape the future of our festival.

Unlike many film festivals, Berlin Film Week presents a deliberately focused programme: one short film and one feature film per day, creating dedicated space for discovery, deep conversation, and meaningful encounters between filmmakers and audiences.

As we continue to grow, we are launching the Berlin Film Week Collective: a group of 4–5 Berlin-based collaborators who will directly contribute to the festival’s programming, community-building, partnerships, and long-term development. We are looking for people who enjoy building cultural projects from the ground up, creating connections, and bringing audiences together around independent cinema.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to become a core part of an emerging international film festival at a pivotal stage in its development.

Rather than joining as a traditional volunteer or intern, Collective members are given genuine creative autonomy. This is a space for collaboration, experimentation, and shared creative ownership. You will be encouraged to propose your own projects, develop new initiatives, and take full responsibility for the areas that inspire you most.

Whether your interests lie in curation, audience development, or industry outreach, we want you to bring your unique perspective and voice to the project.

Areas of Involvement

Applicants can indicate which areas interest them most:

• Programming & Curation: Recommend films; suggest programme themes; identify exciting new voices; and curate your own screening, sidebar, or special event in future editions.

• Community Building & Audience Development: Connect the festival with local film schools, universities, and creative networks to help grow a welcoming, engaged festival community.

• Partnerships, Sponsorship & Development: Identify potential partners and institutions, research funding opportunities, and help strengthen the festival’s long-term sustainability. (See compensation structure below for commission details).

• Industry Outreach: Represent Berlin Film Week at industry events throughout the year, building relationships with filmmakers, distributors, and cultural organisations.

• Communications & Content: Support social media storytelling, conduct short interviews with guests, and capture the atmosphere of the festival.

• Hosting & Events: Introduce screenings, moderate post-film Q&As, and help organize informal networking moments, dinners, and gatherings.

How the Collective Works & Time Commitment

We understand that you will be balancing this role alongside your studies, jobs, or personal creative projects. Participation is designed to be highly flexible:

• The Team: We are looking to build a tight-knit collective of 4–5 collaborators rather than a single representative. There is no fixed hierarchy; you will work together, share ideas, and support one another.

• Time Commitment: On average, we anticipate a commitment of 2–4 hours per month throughout the year. This will increase to 1–3 hours per week in the month leading up to the festival and during the festival itself.

• Term: Membership is for an initial one-year term, renewable by mutual agreement, starting 1 September 2026

Compensation & Financial Transparency

Let’s be completely transparent: Berlin Film Week is currently 100% independent and grassroots. We do not currently receive public subsidies; we are funded entirely by ticket sales and the core team’s own pockets. Every euro we make goes directly into venue rentals, screening fees, and event production.

Because of this, core participation in the Collective is currently voluntary. However, our explicit goal is to build a structure that offers paid positions in the future, and we want the people who help us build that foundation to be the first to step into those paid roles.

The Sponsorship Exception: While initially roles are voluntary, we don’t believe in asking for free business development. If a Collective member successfully secures a direct corporate cash sponsorship or financial partnership for the festival, we offer a 25% commission on those secured funds.

What We Offer

• Creative Autonomy: Direct influence over the artistic direction and programming of an international festival.

• Industry Network: Direct contact with international filmmakers, distributors, and cultural professionals.

• Festival Access: Free access to all Berlin Film Week screenings, events, and industry networking sessions.

• Professional Support: Official festival credit, public profile visibility, and personalized reference letters/industry recommendations from the Festival Director for your future job or grant applications.

• Community: Regular team dinners, social gatherings, and a chance to build deep connections within Berlin’s film scene.

What We Are Looking For

• Based in Berlin.

• Passionate about cinema, independent art, and cultural events.

• Curious, proactive, and reliable.

• Comfortable working collaboratively with a small team.

• Previous festival experience is welcome, but a genuine spark and initiative matter much more to us.

How to Apply & Timeline

Please send a short email introducing yourself, including:

1. Your CV.

2. Why you would like to join the Berlin Film Week Collective.

3. Which area(s) of involvement interest you most.

4. One concrete, realistic idea you would love to bring to life at Berlin Film Week.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, 1 July 2026.

Email: hello@berlinfilmweek.com

The Onboarding Process:

Selected applicants will be invited to meet us and join us as guests during the upcoming edition of Berlin Film Week (1–5 July 2026).
Don’t worry—we won’t put you to work immediately! This week is simply a chance for you to enjoy the screenings, attend the events, meet the team, and see if we are a good cultural fit for each other.

Interviews will be held in July / August.

The official one-year Collective term will begin in September 2026 as we start fresh planning for the next cycle.

We look forward to meeting the future programmers, curators, and organizers who believe in the power of independent cinema!