From 4 to 8 November, Lübeck will once again become a showcase for films from northern and north-eastern Europe. The 68th Nordic Film Days will present 186 films in around 250 screenings and events; more than half the programme is also set to be available online. Yet a festival does not automatically mark the start of a theatrical release. For many films, visibility in Germany ends with the final screening.
The organisers themselves point out that most of the films in the Nordic Stream Days have no German distributor and often cannot be seen in Germany after the festival. This reveals a contradiction that extends beyond Lübeck: festivals make films discoverable, focus attention and bring audiences together with filmmakers. A regular cinema release, however, requires further partners, money and a place in a programme competing for attention week after week.
From festival programme to distribution
Festival success can help, but it is no substitute for the work of a distributor. The distributor has to secure rights, plan a release strategy and decide how a film will reach its audience — through individual independent cinemas, a wider theatrical release or, later, other routes. For smaller productions from abroad, this is one selection process among many: an award, a discussion after a screening or a well-attended auditorium can demonstrate interest, but guarantees neither a German cinema release nor a release date.
The festival’s own warning about the limited availability of many streamed films shows how narrow the window can be. The streaming service extends the festival period for audiences in Germany until 15 November, but it is no substitute for a sustained release. Online rights are limited in both time and territory. What remains afterwards depends, among other things, on whether a distributor takes on the film or a cinema programmes it at a later date.
Young stories, challenging routes
The Young Audience section offers a concrete test case. It presents films for children and young people from Nordic and Baltic countries — from animation and genre films to documentary work. For younger viewers, attending the festival is not merely a preview of possible cinema releases: screenings for school groups, age-appropriate offerings and discussions provide a distinct way into cinema.
The children’s and youth film section also offered a rewarding insight into the themes and storytelling approaches of the region’s filmmaking last year. An observation by Filmdienst on the 2025 programme highlighted, for example, stories in which solidarity within fragile families and friendships takes on particular importance. That is no guarantee that a corresponding trend will continue in the new programme. It is, however, a reminder that films for children and young people should not be treated as a mere sideline: they can give young people access to stories from other countries and bring cinemas an audience only just discovering the experience of watching films together.
Visibility is not yet distribution
The Lübeck selection extends far beyond this section; the competition places different forms and genres side by side. It is precisely this diversity that makes festivals interesting to the industry: they offer a chance to discover films that would hardly stand out as a matter of course in regular cinema programming. Whether this leads to a distribution deal, another screening or a later cinema release, however, is not decided during festival week alone.
The Nordic Film Days are therefore more than a succession of premieres and discoveries. They create a concentrated period and place in which films can be shown, discussed and noticed by audiences and the industry alike. The next step — from a special event to the everyday cinema screen — remains a battle of its own. Which of the works shown in 2026 will take it on cannot yet be reliably predicted before the festival.
Original reviewed by the editors · 31 October 2026
