Film Festival / Program
BEYOND offers you a long weekend full of cinematic impressions and lasting encounters.
Dear film lovers,
look forward to four days of BEYOND with extraordinary films, exciting discussions, and a genuine festival atmosphere. From October 30 to November 2, 2025, the 3rd BEYOND Film Festival will take place at the KulturKino Feuchtwangen. With premieres and an extensive supporting program, we invite you to experience a festival for which over 102 filmmakers have submitted their feature films, documentaries, and short films.
Clear dramaturgy
Each day of the festival follows a fixed structure: at 6:00 p.m., short films open the evening, followed by panel discussions or short lectures. The main film will begin at 9:00 p.m.
We will approach the thematic focus of “truth” from different angles: On Thursday (October 30), a block of short films and the opening film will kick off the festival. Afterwards, refreshments will be provided for all cinema-goers. Friday (October 31) will be dedicated to comedy, while Saturday (November 1) will be devoted to political films and debate. On Sunday morning (November 2), the festival invites you to a “film brunch” at 11:00 a.m. Sunday afternoon will then be dedicated to documentaries with a focus on young filmmakers.
From Friday to Sunday, a jury will select the winner of the day and explain its decision to the cinema audience. Festival visitors are invited to participate in the selection of an audience award, which will be announced on Sunday.
We think BEYOND
The BEYOND Festival aims to build a bridge between cultural issues, storytelling, cinema aesthetics, and the joy of film. It addresses current technological and socio-political topics and encourages active engagement with these developments. Initiator and festival director Ludger Pfanz says: "While it is hardly possible to predict the future, it is possible to actively shape it. In addition to the films with their extraordinary perspectives, the focus is therefore also on the exchange between the audience and filmmakers.“
Main theme: Truth
This year's BEYOND Festival has the motto: ”Truth between light and shadow." Because truth is the prerequisite for trust and social stability. It organizes facts, creates standards, and makes action reliable. Nevertheless, it is vulnerable: prejudices are reinforced by repetition, propaganda uses emotions instead of evidence, algorithms and AI generate images and voices that seem plausible but may be fictitious. Never before has the line between reality and fiction been as blurred as it is today. Our struggle for truth must therefore not remain theoretical; we must (once again) actively seek the truth. The medium of film can make a valuable contribution to this—or seduce us into doing the opposite.
Festival Director Ludger Pfanz
Festival Director Ludger Pfanz is a media artist, director, and, since 1997, a lecturer at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG). As the founder and director of the international BEYOND and the Future Design Symposium, he works at the interface of art, technology, and society.
Ludger Pfanz combines regional roots with international experience: born in Schopfloch, he was one of the co-founders of the Feuchtwangen Youth Center in 1972. Together with director Gülsel Özkan, he brought the BEYOND concept to Middle Franconia.
KulturKino Feuchtwangen
It is no coincidence that the BEYOND film festival is now being held at the KulturKino for the third time. The KulturKino at Herrenstraße 3 in Feuchtwangen was completely renovated in April 2022 on the voluntary initiative of the cinema association and has since developed into a lively venue for all cineastes and culture lovers from the region. Wolfgang Grebenhof, chairman of KulturKino Feuchtwangen e. V.: “Our cinema has developed into a cultural multiplier – in and for the region. With BEYOND, we are showing how vibrant this place has become: internationally oriented, regionally anchored, and open to the questions of our time. Feuchtwangen meets the future.”
Admission prices and ticket sales
Day passes and festival passes are available for the BEYOND festival. The day pass entitles the holder to attend all regular screenings and discussions on the respective day; the festival pass is valid for the entire program on all festival days. Discounts (e.g., for schoolchildren, students, trainees, and people with disabilities) are planned. Prices, quotas, and the start of sales will be announced in good time before the festival begins; advance sales will take place online and at the KulturKino box office. Please note: Seating is limited; changes and special events are reserved.
Portraits of the films shown
Further information and details about the individual films will be available on the website and on our social media channels from the end of September 2025:
Sponsors
We would like to thank the town of Feuchtwangen and our sponsors: Sparkassenstiftung, Herz, VP, and Bürgerstiftung.