VFF Documentary Production Award 2026

The nominees for the VFF Documentary Production Award 2026 have been selected.

INNERE EMIGRANTEN wins the VFF Documentary Production Award 2026

The VFF Documentary Production Award 2026 goes to producer and director Lena Karbe for INNERE EMIGRANTEN.

The jury’s statement reads:

"There are many benefits to dividing labour when it comes to making a film. An experienced production company takes charge of the financial, administrative and organisational aspects and, in doing so, provides the directing team with the creative freedom it desperately needs.

Yet, in documentary film in particular, we repeatedly encounter situations that can only succeed when the producer and director are one and the same person. INNERE EMIGRANTEN by Lena Karbe is an outstanding example of this: the producer, who was born in St. Petersburg and has lived in Germany since she studied at the Munich Filmhochschule, returned to her home country to capture a profound and authentic picture of Russian society during a two-year production period. This was not achieved through the use of conventional journalistic methods – this would have been virtually impossible under the prevailing political circumstances – but through an idea that is as simple as it is ingenious: she portrays psychologists taking calls at a Moscow crisis hotline. We don’t see the callers themselves but, although the narrative is calm and reflective, the reactions of the counselling team shed light on the state of a deeply wounded society. It goes without saying that such a project can only be achieved under the strictest secrecy and Lena Karbe, taking a high risk herself, was well advised not to expose any other team members to the dangers involved. Her Russian crew remains completely anonymous and what we learn about the filming and the transfer of the resulting footage reads like an episode from a spy thriller.

It is hardly surprising that the German funders were initially sceptical about the success of such an undertaking but Lene Karbe did not give up: through repeated applications, she eventually secured the support of Film-Förder-Fonds Bayern, the Deutschen Film-Förder-Fonds DFFF and the FFA using funds from the German-French Mini-Traité as a German-French coproduction was established with Anne-Catherine Witt’s Paris production company Macalube-Film. Not wanting to be left out, the German broadcasters RBB and MDR came on board with just under a third of the production costs and ensured that the project, despite substantial contributions and provisions from the participating production companies, could be brought to a successful conclusion and achieve such a remarkable result. The jury concludes that a great willingness to take risks does pay off. And sometimes, as in this case, even results in you winning the VFF Documentary Film Production Prize. Congratulations!"

Jury: Thomas Frickel (Author, Director and Producer), Oliver Gernstl (Producer & Managing Director megaherz GmbH), Andrea Roggon (Director, Producer & Lecturer)

An award for documentary producers in Germany

This unique award recognises the role of production in the creation of current documentary feature films.

The award is donated by the VFF Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH and is endowed with prize money of 7.500 euros. The award goes to the producer of the film. The award ceremony will take place within the festival programme of DOK.fest München.

Shortlist 2026

HELENE WEIGEL - REVOLUTIONÄRIN IM RAMPENLICHT
DE, AT, 2026, Maria Wischnewski, 102 Min.
Produktion: Maria Wischnewski

IM UMKREIS DES PARADIESES
DE, 2026, Yulia Lokshina, 120 Min.
Produktion: Isabelle Bertolone

INNERE EMMIGRANTEN
DE, FR, 2025, Lena Karbe, 92 Min.
Produktion: Lena Karbe, Anne-Catherine Witt, Kathleen Mcinnis

MATERIA PRIMA
DE, 2026, Jens Schanze, 89 Min.
Produktion: Jens Schanze

SIRI HUSVEDT - DANCE AROUND THE SELF
DE, CH, 2026, Sabine Lidl, 110 Min.
Produktion: Irene Höfer

STILLE ZWISCHEN UNS
DE, 2026, Kim Münster, 85 Min.
Produktion: Kim Münster

Award donor