German Films Have the Trust. How Do They Win the Audience?
Trusted, but with room to grow
German audiences trust German films. They value their depth, their authenticity and their closeness to everyday life. Yet that trust too seldom turns into tickets. Even in 2025, the best year for German films in five years, almost three out of four cinema tickets went to foreign titles, and just two German films sold one in three of all tickets for German films.
So what are German audiences really looking for, and what would make them choose a German film more often? This report brings together what we heard from around 180 participants, 4,500 audience reactions and 300,000 online conversations, gathered as part of a pilot programme by MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and PUBLIKUM, the first of its kind in Germany.
Inside, you will find five observations that apply across genres, followed by in-depth chapters on documentary, fiction and animation, each ending with key takeaways. It is written for producers, filmmakers, distributors and funders who want to understand the audience they are making films for, and what it takes to win them over.
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