About the Film Festival
The 31th edition of the International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences SCHLiNGEL is taking place in Chemnitz / Germany.
At the last anniversary edition of the IFF SCHLiNGEL already more than 24.000 German pupils and film enthusiasts as well as numerous experts of the international industry saw productions from all over the world. Be a part of the 31th edition with your short, animated or feature film for children and young audience in 2026!
SCHLiNGEL is one of the largest platforms for international children’s and youth films in Europe. Every year in autumn, the SCHLiNGEL festival collects an overview of current productions from all over the world. The extraordinary, brand-new and diverse productions are accompanied with podium discussions, talks, workshops and the SCHLiNGEL Industry Forum. There is a particular emphasis on educational sessions on film and media for kindergartens and schools through practical activities.
Beyond the festival week, SCHLiNGEL acquires licenses and supports dubbing versions in order to motivate distributors and broadcasting companies in Germany to integrate festival films in their programmes.
In addition to the annual staging of the SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival, matinee tours have been established across Saxony. Selected productions are brought to a larger international audience outside the festival as well. This is the aim behind diverse international film presentations, for example in Canada, Chile, India and South Korea.
The opening date for film submissions is February 7. We are looking forward to many great film submissions!
The IFF SCHLiNGEL is co-organized by Sächsischen Landesmedienanstalt (SLM).
Authorization Letter
More than ten professional and children/junior/youth juries award numerous prizes in national and international competitions. The selection of entries for the different categories is made after a screening by the program commission, which is appointed by the organizer.
Submissions can be made for the following competitions, in which cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded:
• INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION with the following categories:
Children’s Film Competition (Target audience: till 10 years)
Junior Film Competition (Target audience: 11 till 13 years)
Youth Film Competition (Target audience: from 14 years)
• COMPETITION GERMAN LANGUAGE FEATURE FILM German Focus (from 5 years)
• INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM COMPETITION (from 4 years)
• SHORT FILM COMPETITION (from 4 years) with the categories - screening in mixed
& age-graded programs for toddlers up to students and adults
Short Film National
Short Film International
Short Film Animation National
Short Film Animation International
• PANORAMA
• SPECIAL PROGRAMMES
*Top Award of the City of Chemnitz*
For the Participation in the Competition Focus Germany the FFA awards 25.000 reference points. In Addition, the Members of the Professional Jury Feature Film National awards the Chemnitz Top Award, which includes the purchase of worldwide non-commercial evalutation, for example via offices of the Goethe-Instituts.
*SLM Top Award*
The SLM's main prize is awarded by the Professionel Jury Feauture Film International. The award is a supporting award for distribution and to release the film in Germany.
Subject ：
Video Format ：MPEG4 DCP
1. General Information*
The 31th International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience SCHLiNGEL will take place from 2nd till 10th October 2026. It is organised by the non-profit organisation "Saechsischer Kinder und Jugendfilmdienst e. V." and co-organised by "Saechsische Landesanstalt fuer privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (SLM)".
SCHLiNGEL is an independent film festival with international competitions and supporting programmes. It takes place annually. The festival conceives itself as a platform for international children’s and youth films in Germany.
SCHLiNGEL – International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience gives an overview of current international productions and aims at motivating distributors and TV stations in Germany to integrate these films into their programmes. Eastern European countries are one of the festivals geopolitical focuses. At the same time
the festival offers both its young audiences and professionals from around the globe insights into the latest German children’s and youth film productions.
Categories and fees
Entry short films
Video length ：1 - 45
Short films: (live action films, animated films; BUT NOT ACCEPTED: pure: documentaries, experimental clips, music videos or advertising clips)*** Only children’s and youth films completed after the 1st January 2025 can apply for the competitions. For the selection process, films that are not produced in German or English must be subtitled in one of these two languages. All entries remain after the end of the festival for archiving purposes at SCHLiNGEL. Links must remain valid until the end of the festival. Short live-action and animated films are preferred to be German premieres and should not be longer than 45 minutes. Films with a maximum length of 30 minutes are preferred. ***Deadline for submissions is 1st June 2026.*** Preview copies of the submitted films must also have arrived in Chemnitz by 1st June 2026 at the latest.
Entry feature films
Video length ：45 - 180
Only children’s and youth films completed after the 1st January 2025 can apply for the competitions. For the selection process, films that are not produced in German or English must be subtitled in one of these two languages. All entries remain after the end of the festival for archiving purposes at SCHLiNGEL. Links must remain valid until the end of the festival. We only accept progressive digital video files. Interlaced material (50i/60i) is not accepted. Feature films: Feature films need to have a minimum length of 45 minutes. German premieres are required for the categories of international children's film, junior film and youth film. ***Deadline for submissions is 15th July 2026.*** Preview copies of the submitted films must also have arrived in Chemnitz by 15th July 2026 at the latest.
