Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival 2025: Glamor and exciting films!

Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival 2025: Glamor and exciting films!

The Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival opened its doors on November 6, 2025 and is now entering its 74th round. Film enthusiasts can enjoy an exciting selection of films in both cities until November 16th. How film-rezensionen.de reports, the festival will open with the Iranian film “Inside Amir,” which portrays a young man in a crucial phase of his life.

For many visitors, it is the first opportunity to experience “Inside Amir” in German after it celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Director Amir Azizi, whose career is characterized by several short films and documentaries, takes viewers on an emotional journey. The plot shows Amir's inner conflict between the desire for freedom and the love for his homeland as well as his close relationships with family and friends. Shot in Persian, the film is accompanied by German and English subtitles and has a running time of 103 minutes. The main roles are played by Amirhosseini Hosseini and Hadis Nazari, among others. On November 6th, 7th and 8th there are several performances that will take place with guests, such as timetable.iffmh.de notes.

A program full of highlights

But the festival has much more to offer! In addition to the opening ceremony, the program also includes animated treasures such as “The Treasure Hunt in Blue Tits Valley” and “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake”. Other films worth seeing include the documentary “Militantropos”, which deals with daily life in Ukraine, as well as the thriller “The Things You Kill” and the everyday observation story “Peter Hujar’s Day”. To celebrate the art of film, classics will also be presented on the big screen.

The festival is not only known for the film screenings, but also offers exciting events such as exhibitions, panels and a special concert evening. This year the honorary prize will be awarded to the talented Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum. He will present his Oscar-nominated thriller “September 5 – The Day Terror Went Live” and provide insights into his creative process in a masterclass.

A look into the future of Iranian cinema

Another highlight in the film calendar is the “Visions of Iran” festival, which will take place next year from June 10th to 14th, 2026 and can also be experienced in 2025 from June 12th to 15th at the Filmforum NRW/Museum Ludwig in Cologne. How iranian-filmfestival.com reports, the festival focuses on bold, poetic and political films that reflect the voices of a young generation striving for change. Topics such as the effects of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the lives of minorities are discussed. The opening film “The Old Bachelor” deals with a patriarchal system.

The two festivals provide a comprehensive insight into the diversity and richness of cinema and set an example for the cultural connection between Germany and Iran.

Further information about the event in Mannheim-Heidelberg is available at www.iffmh.de for all interested film fans.