The graduation films »My Name Akim« and »Splitter« from the ifs Internationale Filmschule Köln will celebrate their premiere at the 47th Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival (19-25 January, 2026). 
The drama »My Name Akim« (Director/Screenplay: Aleksandr Kim, Producer: Alina Naomi Theis, Creative Producer: Annalena Liesner, DoP: Jonas Thibaut, Editing: Sophia Timšin) will be screened in the Medium-Length Film competition and will compete with 10 other films for the Max Ophüls Preis for Best Medium-Length Film and the Max Ophüls Preis Audience Award for Medium-Length Film, each of which is endowed with 5,000 euros. In »My Name Akim«, Akim, a trans man and political refugee, encounters bureaucratic hurdles, incomprehensible regulations, and inhuman coldness in his tireless attempts to learn German.

The drama »Splitter« (Director/Screenplay: Marie Pauline Bagh, Creative Producer: Pauline Schläger, Producers: Julius Nerlich, Philip J. Malewicz, DoP: Jakob Dombrowski, Editing: Hannah Burgmann, Production Design: Franziska Schellhorn) will be shown in the short film competition and will compete with 24 other films for the Max Ophüls Preis for Best Short Film and the Max Ophüls Preis Audience Award for Short Film, each of which is endowed with 5,000 euros. 
In »Splitter«, single mother and student Hanna and her daughter Ida are a well-coordinated team in their turbulent everyday life—until Ida's first day of school creates a distance between them.

Numerous ifs alumni are also featured at the festival with their work: 
In the documentary film competition, »Eine Krankheit wie ein Gedicht« (directed by Jelena Ilic) is being screened, produced by ifs professor and alumna Melanie Andernach and Knut Loosen.
ifs alumni Jascha Viehl (Sound) and Nils Herrmann (Foleys) are involved in »M.« (Director: Adrian Witzel), which is being shown in the medium-length film competition. »Arme Hunde« (Director: Moritz Licht), for which alumnus Benedikt Pawils is responsible for the cinematography, is also running in the same category.
The Special Olympics guest programme is dedicated to the film »Ganzer Halber Bruder«, directed by alumnus Hanno Olderdissen, based on a screenplay by alumnus Clemente Fernandez-Gil, with alumnus Dominik Schmitz as Set Decorator.
The guest programme Bundesfestival Junger Film will feature the ifs film »Flying From War« (Director: Ciara Borgards, Idea: Ciara Borgards, Luisa Niederschuh, Screenplay: C. Borgards, Theresa Wessel, Producer: Philip Malewicz, DoP: Jonas Thibaut, Production Design: L. Niederschuh, Editing: Hannes Gabelmann, Niklas Lipski, VFX: C. Borgards, Ute Becker).

The Max Ophüls Preis Film Festival is one of the most prestigious platforms for young filmmakers from the DACH region. A total of 146 films will be shown this year.