We would like to welcome you warmly to exground filmfest 37!

Once again, we have done everything in our power to assemble a magnificent program: highlights from the big A-list festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Karlovy Vary are headed to Wiesbaden, including a slew of submissions for the 2025 foreign-film Oscar. Around 200 productions will be screened – a cross-section of international cinema’s class of 2023/2024, chosen from nearly 2,100 submitted short and feature-length films. Now it’s time for you to come out again in full force and join us at our many festival venues! From November 15–24, you will also have plenty of opportunities to enter into conversation with the filmmakers who are so kind to join us too.

Sadly, under the circumstances we feel compelled to repeat a passage here from last year’s words of welcome (only the year has been changed): “In light of the difficult times ahead for culture in Wiesbaden in the coming years, we can only appeal to you to support us with your presence in the cinema, as we are not the only ones who do not know how things are supposed to continue in our hometown from 2025 on when it comes to culture. A sheerly untenable situation for all cultural institutions in Wiesbaden, since it removes any sense of certainty in planning. In addition, it is totally incomprehensible that city council members are here choosing to disregard the cultural development plan which they themselves voted to adopt.”

Our thanks go out to all those who have supported us in 2024. Special thanks are due to the State Capital of Wiesbaden, the Hessian State Ministry for Science and Research, Arts and Culture, Hessen Film & Medien GmbH and Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain. Our equally warm thanks go to all of our helpers, without whom we would not be able to put on the festival.

We are looking forward to ten eventful festival days full of new (filmic) impressions as well as to many attendees!

Your festival team from exground filmfest