Berlinale Talents
Programme · 2027Prestige 88/100
Six days in Berlin with 200 filmmakers during the festival. Cheap to apply, entirely self-funded to attend.
Deadlines & fees
- Early BirdNext deadline19 Aug 2026Europe/Berlin€10
- Standard2 Sept 2026Europe/Berlin€15
Dates and fees checked against the official site 8 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Personal data · Filmography (optional) · Career milestones covering education, work and social engagement · Questionnaire · Sample of work: a video of about three minutes, not a script, showing a maximum of two scenes matching your first field of work. English subtitles required for significant non-English dialogue. Showreels, trailers, teasers and commercials are not accepted.
Applicants need at least one feature-length film, or two short films, or a high-quality drama series or TV movie, that have screened at festivals or been widely streamed. Students are admitted only in very exceptional cases, such as prior professional work in the industry. There is no age limit and no nationality, residency or country quota. The programme is explicitly aimed at working professionals with some experience behind them rather than those taking their first steps. Alumni may only re-apply through the Lab or the Talent Project Market. Rejected applicants may apply again.
Prizes
No cash award, no stipend, no travel and no accommodation. Participants receive a place at the six-day Summit, automatic enrolment in craft-specific workshops, and access to an alumni network of more than 10,000. Grants and fellowships are alluded to for socially engaged Talents once invited, but no amounts or criteria are published. Selected participants fund their own travel, accommodation and living costs in Berlin for the week.
Judging
Applications are reviewed by a published, named Summit selection committee: Agustina Arbetman, Gabor Greiner, Dana Linssen and Wilfred Okiche. Applications are split into six blocks and reviewed by rotating pairs so that every application is seen at least twice. More than 3,400 applications are received each year for 200 places, roughly one in seventeen. Applicants are notified in mid-December, with Talents announced publicly in early January. No feedback is offered to unsuccessful applicants.
The PreList verdict
Berlinale Talents brings 200 filmmakers to Berlin for six days during the festival: talks, workshops, networking and automatic enrolment in craft sessions for your own discipline. Screenwriter is one of the fifteen fields you can apply under. More than 3,400 people apply for those 200 places, and the selection committee is published by name, which is rarer than it ought to be. The alumni network runs past 10,000 people.
The honest part: the 10 or 15 euros you pay to apply is the smallest cost here by a very wide margin. There is no participation fee, but there is no stipend, no travel and no accommodation either, so being selected means funding six nights in Berlin during the Berlinale out of your own pocket, and the organisers do not quantify that anywhere. The one-to-one mentor sessions and detailed script feedback that people associate with this programme belong to the Lab, and the Lab is alumni-only, so you cannot reach it in your first year. Nor is this an entry-level scheme: you need a feature, two shorts or a broadcast drama behind you before you are eligible at all.
Apply if you can absorb a self-funded week in Berlin in February and what you actually want is the room rather than notes on your script. The early rate is 10 euros if you are in by noon Berlin time on 19 August, and 15 euros thereafter up to noon on 2 September. Note that both are midday deadlines rather than end of day, which is an easy and expensive thing to misread. Decisions land in mid-December.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 8 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does it really cost?
Ten euros to apply before noon CEST on 19 August, or fifteen after that. But there is no stipend, travel or accommodation, so if you are selected you fund six nights in Berlin during the Berlinale yourself. That is by far the largest cost and the organisers do not put a figure on it.
Do I get feedback on my script?
Not through the Summit. The one-to-one mentor sessions with detailed script feedback belong to the Berlinale Talents Lab, and the Lab is open only to people who have already attended as a Talent. First-time applicants cannot access it, and no feedback is given to unsuccessful applicants.
Am I eligible?
You need at least one feature-length film, or two short films, or a high-quality drama series or TV movie, that have screened at festivals or been widely streamed. There is no age limit and no nationality restriction or country quota. Students are admitted only in very exceptional cases.
What do I submit?
Not a script. The sample of work is a video of about three minutes showing a maximum of two scenes that correspond to your first field of work, with English subtitles for significant non-English dialogue. Showreels, trailers, teasers and commercials are rejected.
Is your script right for Berlinale Talents?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this programme: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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