Interfilm Berlin
Interfilm Berlin is a Berlin-based short film festival organization and distribution agency operating the INTERFILM and KUKI festivals, three distribution channels (Kinoverleih, Weltvertrieb, Festivaldistribution), and Shorts Attack monthly programming in 20+ German cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Interfilm Berlin does
Interfilm Berlin is a Berlin-based short film festival organization and distribution agency founded in 1999, operating from Straßburger Str. 55 in the Prenzlauer Berg district. It runs two annual short film festivals — the INTERFILM International Short Film Festival (now in its 41st edition, attracting 21,000 visitors and 400 international guests across 60+ programs and events) and the KUKI Festival for children and youth — alongside a multi-channel distribution business. The distribution arm is structured into three divisions: Kinoverleih (cinema distribution to German cinemas and event organizers with film rentals, pre-film subscriptions, and themed program packages), Weltvertrieb (international world sales mediating between filmmakers and global buyers), and Festivaldistribution (services for the international festival circuit). The company also operates Shorts Attack, a monthly themed short film program shown in over 20 German cities, maintains a catalog of 482+ short films organized into 27+ curated program collections, and runs Shorts+Connect as a digital platform for film culture, education, and networking.
The underlying technology stack consists of a bilingual (German/English) website with searchable film catalog functionality, filmmaker submission portals, and separate customer login portals for Kinoverleih and Weltvertrieb customers, plus a YouTube channel for monthly Kurzfilm Freitag content. Revenue is generated through four primary streams: cinema distribution transaction fees, international and festival licensing royalties, and festival operations (tickets, submissions, awards, and Script Pitch). The company serves three primary enterprise and institutional segments — German cinemas and event organizers, international film festivals, and German schools/kindergartens via educational programming — plus a long-tail consumer audience. Core strategic partnerships include the Festival de Cannes, Sundance Film Festival, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, giving Interfilm access to Oscar-nominated, Cannes, and Sundance short films for German theatrical distribution.
Interfilm Berlin firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interfilm Berlin
- Legal name
- Interfilm Berlin
- Website
- https://interfilm.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Interfilm Berlin is a Berlin-based short film festival organization and distribution agency operating the INTERFILM and KUKI festivals, three distribution channels (Kinoverleih, Weltvertrieb, Festivaldistribution), and Shorts Attack monthly programming in 20+ German cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Interfilm Berlin industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Distribution and Festival Management
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)
Keywords
Where Interfilm Berlin is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Interfilm Berlin business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cinema Distribution (Kinoverleih): Distribution of short films to cinemas and event organizers across Germany, with services including film rentals, short film programs, pre-film subscriptions, and program packages.
- World Sales (Weltvertrieb): International short film distribution to film professionals and festivals worldwide, mediating between filmmakers and international buyers.
- Festival Distribution: Distribution services specifically for film festivals, providing curated short film packages and individual titles.
- Festival Operations: Revenue from festival ticket sales, submissions, and associated events including the Script Pitch competition and awards.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Interfilm Berlin product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interfilm Berlin is a short film festival operator and distribution agency that runs two annual Berlin-based festivals (INTERFILM International Short Film Festival and KUKI Festival for children and youth) and provides short film distribution through three channels: Kinoverleih for German cinemas and event organizers, Weltvertrieb for international world sales, and Festivaldistribution for the festival circuit. The company also operates the Shorts Attack monthly program in 20+ German cities, distributes a catalog of 482+ films with 27+ themed program packages, and runs the Script Pitch platform for filmmakers.
Product overview
Interfilm Berlin is a short film organization based in Berlin operating a multi-faceted short film business consisting of two annual festivals (interfilm Festival and KUKI Festival), three distribution channels (Kinoverleih for German cinema distribution, Weltvertrieb for international distribution, and Festivaldistribution for festival circuit), plus the branded monthly program Shorts Attack. The company also offers a video platform (Shorts+Connect), an agency service for project collaborations, and maintains a catalog of 482+ films with 27+ themed program collections. The core offering is the interfilm Festival, which serves as the flagship event, while the distribution services (Kinoverleih, Weltvertrieb, Festivaldistribution) and Shorts Attack program represent the commercial distribution infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- KUKI Festival: Short film festival for children and youth audiences
- Shorts Attack
- interfilm Festival
- Shorts+Connect
- Script Pitch
Products and services
- INTERFILM International Short Film Festival Annual international short film festival held in Berlin featuring competitions, awards, industry events, and curated programs across 60+ screenings and events.
- KUKI Festival Short film festival for children and youth offering programming for kindergartens and schools, workshops, and family-friendly screenings.
- Kinoverleih (Short Film Cinema Distribution) Cinema and event distribution service renting short films to cinemas and event organizers throughout Germany, including pre-film subscriptions and themed program packages.
- Weltvertrieb (World Distribution) International world distribution service connecting short films with industry professionals, festivals, and distributors worldwide through global sales representation.
- Festivaldistribution (Festival Distribution) Distribution service specifically targeting the international film festival circuit, providing curated short film packages and individual titles for festival programming.
- Shorts Attack Monthly themed short film programs shown in partner cinemas across more than 20 German cities, featuring curated collections under various themes.
- interfilm Agentur (Agency) Project-based agency service collaborating with partners to realize special projects and initiatives in the film and cultural education space.
- Script Pitch Script development and pitching platform where filmmakers present short film projects as part of the INTERFILM Festival.
Companies that use Interfilm Berlin
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Interfilm Berlin technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Interfilm Berlin partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencescoreInterfilm Berlin distributes Oscar-nominated short films including Live Action and Animation categories for the 2026 awards. They offer theatrical distribution of Academy Award-nominated short films in Germany.
- Festival de CannescoreInterfilm Berlin distributes Cannes Shorts, including the Golden Palm winning short film. They have a direct relationship with the Cannes Film Festival for short film competition selections, featuring Cannes winners in their distribution catalog and festival programming.
- Sundance Film FestivalcoreInterfilm Berlin distributes Sundance Shorts, featuring award-winning short films from the Sundance Film Festival in their catalog. Sundance Shorts 2025 program includes 7 award-winning short films.
- Partner FestivalscoreInterfilm Berlin maintains a network of partner festivals for film exchange, co-programming, and collaborative events. The festival section lists Partner-Festivals as a dedicated page. These partnerships facilitate film circulation and festival programming collaborations.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Interfilm Berlin competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Short Film Festival Oberhausen: One of the oldest short film festivals in the world, also based in Germany. Both organizations run annual curated competitions, industry programs, and a distribution/archive component for short film in the German cultural landscape.
- Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival: The world's leading short film festival, holding an annual competitive festival plus a major industry market for short film sales. It is the most direct comparator to Interfilm's combined festival + distribution + world sales model, operating at a larger scale with a similarly curated international competition.
- Aspen Shortsfest: US competitive short film festival with curated programs and international selections. Directly comparable to Interfilm in festival curation, themed programs, and Oscar-qualifying competition status.
- National Film Board of Canada: Public Canadian agency producing and distributing short films worldwide with a large free catalog. Comparable to Interfilm as a curated short film library with theatrical distribution, festival presence, and educational programming.
- Tampere Film Festival: Finnish short film festival with competitive programming and a festival distribution/agency arm. Compares closely to Interfilm's festival + curated program + industry outreach structure, serving as a Northern European parallel.
- Uppsala Short Film Festival: Swedish competitive short film festival with international programming. Comparable to Interfilm as a mid-sized European short film festival with industry and curated program components.
- Hamburg International Short Film Festival: German short film festival operating an annual competition and distribution activities through its affiliated agency. Directly comparable to Interfilm in combining festival programming with commercial short film distribution for German audiences.
Others
- AG Kurzfilm: German umbrella association for short film that promotes short film culture and supports German short film distribution. Adjacent to Interfilm as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but operates in the same German short film value chain.
Broad incumbents
- MUBI: Global streaming and theatrical distributor specializing in curated arthouse and short films. Comparable as a broader incumbent in curated short/arthouse distribution with both cinema programming and digital channels.
Regional players
- German Films: National information and distribution office for German cinema. While focused on features rather than shorts, it is comparable as a German-headquartered film distribution and promotion agency with international market access.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interfilm Berlin social profiles
Digital presenceInterfilm Berlin financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interfilm Berlin leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Interfilm Berlin funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interfilm Berlin M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interfilm Berlin
What does Interfilm Berlin do?
Interfilm Berlin is a short film festival operator and distribution agency that runs two annual Berlin-based festivals (INTERFILM International Short Film Festival and KUKI Festival for children and youth) and provides short film distribution through three channels: Kinoverleih for German cinemas and event organizers, Weltvertrieb for international world sales, and Festivaldistribution for the festival circuit. The company also operates the Shorts Attack monthly program in 20+ German cities, distributes a catalog of 482+ films with 27+ themed program packages, and runs the Script Pitch platform for filmmakers.
Is Interfilm Berlin a public or private company?
Interfilm Berlin is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Interfilm Berlin founded?
Interfilm Berlin was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Interfilm Berlin based?
Interfilm Berlin is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Interfilm Berlin make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Cinema Distribution (Kinoverleih) is the primary driver. The others are world Sales (Weltvertrieb), festival Distribution and festival Operations.
Who are Interfilm Berlin's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, National Film Board of Canada, Tampere Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival and Hamburg International Short Film Festival. AG Kurzfilm is listed as an others. MUBI is listed as a broad incumbent. German Films is listed as a regional player.
Does Interfilm Berlin have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interfilm Berlin.
What industry is Interfilm Berlin in?
Interfilm Berlin's product category is Film Distribution and Festival Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAD, Film Festivals & Festival Organizers, with a secondary code of MPADAKAG, Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera). Its NAICS code is 71132 and its SIC code is 7829.