LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers
#49 from September 24 to October 1, 2026
Lights, camera, and action at LUCAS #49: from September 24 to October 1, 2026, Germany’s oldest film festival for young audiences will present award-winning cinematic art for everyone from ages three to 18+. Families and film enthusiasts of all ages can look forward to exceptional cinematic experiences in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Offenbach and Bad Homburg.
The defining feature of LUCAS are the competitions in the »Kids«, »Teens«, and »Youngsters« sections. In addition to the competition program, the festival shows classics from film history, short films for the very youngest, and other programs, some of which are designed by children and young people. During the festival week, there is a special focus on film discussions, in which filmmakers from all over the world engage in dialogue with the audience.
At LUCAS, participation means to »Get Involved!«. Young people are invited to help shape the festival in a variety of ways, such as fulfilling the role of a jury member, film critic, festival reporter, or curator.
Representatives of the film industry will have the opportunity to attend conferences and panel discussions that address topics related to film education and current trends in children’s and youth film production.
LUCAS – International Festival for Young Film Lovers is organized by the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum e.V..
Competitions and Awards
Competitions
In the »Kids«, »Teens«, and »Youngsters« competitions, LUCAS presents outstanding international selections of feature films, documentaries, animated films, and experimental films. In 2025, 21 feature films and 18 short films will compete for the coveted LUCAS awards.
Feature films must have a running time of more than 59 minutes and must not have been released in German cinemas. A selection committee attends festivals and industry gatherings to choose competition entries for the »Kids«, »Teens«, and »Youngsters« sections from among the strongest productions worldwide. Premiere status is not a factor, only quality matters!
In recent years, LUCAS has earned a special reputation with its short film competition. A selection committee puts together several competition programs for the »Kids« and »Teens« sections from the best international submissions with a running time of up to 30 minutes. Many of these programs are German premieres.
Awards
Competition »Kids«
- Award for the Best Feature Film (5,000 €) donated by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen
- Award for the Best Short Film (2,000 €) donated by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen
Competition »Teens«
- Award for the Best Feature Film (5,000 €)
- Award for the Best Short Film (2,000 €)
- Award for an Outstanding Cinematic Achievement (2,000 €)
Competition »Youngsters«
- LUCAS »Youngsters« Award (5,000 €)
All competition sections
- ECFA-Award
- Bridging the Borders Award
- Audience Award
Film Entry
Short Films for Competitions »Kids« and »Teens«
LUCAS accepts submissions of short films with a maximum length of 30 minutes. The submitted film should preferably celebrate its German premiere at LUCAS.
Submissions are made via FilmFreeway. Please read the participation guidelines for short films provided there, as well as the submission forms, carefully.
Feature Films for Competitions »Kids«, »Teens« and »Youngsters«
In its international feature film competitions »Kids«, »Teens« and »Youngsters« LUCAS showcases outstanding, professional filmmaking scouted and curated by a selection committee.
Feature films with a minimum length of 60 minutes may be submitted only upon request. Unsolicited submissions are accepted only in exceptional cases.
The films must not have had a German theatrical release, but may already have been screened at individual festivals in Germany.
Selection Committee 2026
In order to improve LUCAS’s networking and enhance lively discussion about the program, the festival has appointed a selection committee for feature films and another for short films, which will view the films and select entries for the »Kids«, »Teens«, and »Youngsters« competitions. In addition to Julia Fleißig, the festival director of LUCAS, the committees are made up of five other renowned film experts.
Kirsten Taylor
Editor, film educator, and author
Kirsten Taylor is an editor at the film education portal kinofenster.de and a freelance film educator, working for projects such as “Filmklassiker sehen – Filme verstehen,” which was initiated by the German Film Academy. Additionally, she is working for SchulKinoWochen. She also writes film reviews and prepares film reports. One focus of her work is children’s and youth films.
Stefan Stiletto
Film educator and film journalist
Stefan Stiletto is a freelance film educator, film journalist, and editor. He designs and creates accompanying materials for film education and is a writer for Filmdienst, Kinderfilmwelt, Kinder- und Jugend-Filmportal, Kinofenster.de, and other publications. He also leads training courses for educators and workshops for children and young adults on various film education topics.
Rochus Wolff
Film critic, author, and lecturer
Rochus Wolff is a freelance film critic and author who publishes in Kino-Zeit, Filmdienst, Kinderfilmwelt, and on the children’s and youth film portal, among others. Wolff has published two books on children’s films: “33 Beste Kinderfilme” (“33 Best Children’s Films”) and “100 Kinderfilme für alle Tage” (“100 Children’s Films for Every Day”). He also gives workshops on children’s films and film criticism.
Holger Twele
Journalist and film educator
Holger Twele is a freelance film journalist and film educator and has been working for many years with organizations such as the Federal Association for Youth and Film, the German Children’s and Youth Film Center, and the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Dr. Ursula Vossen
Producer and author / HessenInvestFilm
Dr. Ursula Vossen is an experienced television and film producer and film funder. She is the author of numerous books and articles on film studies.
Jury 2026
The juries for the »Kids« and »Teens« competitions consist of equal numbers of young film fans and industry professionals. They decide on the winners of five LUCAS awards in the »Kids« and »Teens« competitions. A jury of young European film enthusiasts will honor the LUCAS »Youngsters« Award to a film in the »Youngsters« section.
A jury from the ECFA presents the ECFA Award to its favorite European children’s film. Since 2018, Cinema Without Borders has awarded a prize to a competition film, with the audience award decided by festival visitors.
The jury members for LUCAS #49 will be announced here shortly.
Film Guests 2026
For its 49th edition, LUCAS welcomes numerous film guests on site at the festival cinemas or in online discussions. All film screenings are hosted by film educators. In addition, some »Film Talks in Advance« on competition films have once again been created as part of a »Get Involved!« project.
The film guests of LUCAS #49 will be announced here one by one.
The »Film Talks in Advance« for LUCAS #49 will be published here one by one.