The International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg has a long tradition of introducing film artists of the future and their aesthetic language to the world. The festival offers an inspiring environment for talented new filmmakers and showcases heretofore unknown talents each year who are all driven by their increased awareness, a strong personal vision and a powerful ambition.

From more than 1,000 submissions the festival picks a selection of roundabout 40 to 50 films by new directors - to be presented as real premieres. Throughout the year, the film scouts and the selection committee search the world to find these few extraordinary talents they consider to be the most interesting and aesthetically extraordinary. Any film presented in Mannheim-Heidelberg receives focussed attention of about 1,000 international industry professionals, the media, and roundabout 60,000 festival visitors alike.

Only newcomer directors may participate at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, i.e. directors who are unknown to an international audience outside their home country.

In order for a film to be eligible for presentation at the Festival's International Competition Section, it must not have been screened at

• Cannes (International Competition, Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Un Certain Regard, Semaine de la Critique)
• Venice (International Competition)
• Locarno (International Competition)
• Berlin 
• any other festival in Germany

The Festival has two main sections, International Competition and International Discoveries. 

Films in the International Competition are nominated for the following awards:

• Main Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg (for the best film in competition, awarded by the International Jury)
• Special Award of the International Jury (for an extraordinary performance as director, actor, writer, etc, awarded by the International Jury)
• Special Mentions of the International Jury (for a remarkable film with outstanding acting, music, photography etc, awarded by the International Jury)
• International Film Critic's Award (awarded by the FIPRESCI-Jury)
• The Ecumenic Film Prize (awarded by the Ecumenical Jury)

In both International Competition and International Discoveries sections, a Jury of Cinema Owners will recommend films for theatrical distribution. An Audience Award is issued for any film in the two main sections, regardless of genre and length.

Find out more about prizes and laureates during the course of the Festival in the Awards and Juries section.

Mannheim-Heidelberg is one of the oldest filmfestivals in the world - and the second oldest in Germany.

For 63 years it has been a forum for the art of cinema, for films with a personal signature - the author's film.

During the history of the festival, debut features of now famous directors such as Jim Jarmusch (1980), Thomas Vinterberg (1997), Bryan Singer (1993), Atom Egoyan (1984), Francois Truffaut (1959), Rainer Werner Fassbinder(1969), Wim Wenders (1969), Krzyszof Kieslowski (1975), Lars von Trier (1984), Derek M. Cianfrance (1998), Luca Guadignino (1999), Matias Bize (2003) or Rahmin Bahrani (2005) were first introduced to an international public.