HAMBURG: The Marché du Film will become an official partner of the International Film Distribution Summit (IFDS) for its upcoming 5th edition, which will be held 29 September – 1 October in Hamburg, Germany.
As an official partner of the Best International Innovation Distribution Award, the Marché du Film will support the celebration of excellence in film distribution during this unique international gathering.
The collaboration will also extend opportunities to a select group of emerging professionals from Cannes Makers, the Marché du Film’s talent development programme dedicated to nurturing the next generation of industry professionals through hands-on experience, mentorship, and direct access to the market ecosystem. These alumni will be invited to attend IFDS and its partner event European Work in Progress, further expanding their networks and connecting with key players shaping the future of sales, distribution and financing.
“We are delighted to join forces with Marché du Film for the upcoming IFDS edition. This partnership embodies our belief that unity is our greatest strength: without collaboration, there is no innovation. We are convinced that together, we can drive the positive changes the global culture industry needs,” said Torsten Frehse, head of IFDS.
As last year, IFDS will be part of the Filmfest Hamburg Industry Days next to established programmes like the innovative Explorer Konferenz, Futura Cinema and the international and national young talent initiatives #ATELIER and ENCOURAGE Film Talents and European Work in Progress (EWIP).
The highlight of the IFDS 2026 will again be the Best International Innovation Distribution Award. In 2025, the award was given to French World Sales Charades, which has brought many renowned and Oscar-nominated films since its founding in 2017. Former winners of the award include Italian independent distributor Lucky Red (2024), Spanish distributor and film producer Elastica Films (2023) as well as US-distributor Neon (2022).
In previous years IFDS has hosted numerous panels, keynotes and master classes addressing important subjects such as the acquisition of new audiences, the challenges of film marketing in the age of social media or ways of successful film funding. Among the speakers were renowned industry experts including Yohann Comte (co-founder Charades), Elissa Federoff (President of Theatrical Distribution Neon), Ben Johnson (CEO Gruvi), Sara Frain (Managing director Picturehouse) or Andrea Romeo (CEO I Wonder Pictures).
International Film Distribution Summit (IFDS) focuses on film distribution and features a unique platform for international colleagues of the film industry. It offers dialogue and networking opportunities to analyse and keep in touch with the ever-changing global culture industry. Keynotes, panels, master classes and informal talks ensure the development of new visions about meaningful contribution to a vivid culture industry.
Representatives of many important European and international distributors, world sales and agencies develop trend-setting and practical solutions at the IFDS. With its practice-oriented approach and the direct exchange between colleagues involved in the day-to-day work of film distribution, the IFDS stands out among other industry events.
The IFDS is funded by Creative Europe MEDIA and supported by Filmfest Hamburg, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA).
The IFDS will be supported furthermore by the industry event European Work in Progress (EWIP), which will be held in Hamburg from 28 to 30 September 2026.
The six international jury members of this year’s 9th European Work in Progress (EWIP) are: Christian Bräuer, Managing Director of Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany’s largest arthouse cinema group; Paolo Bertolin, member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival and Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival; Rebecca De Pas, renowned and experienced film curator for the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Valeska Neu, responsible for Management & Sales for world sales „Films Boutique“; Iñigo Trojaola, Editorial Manager for Spanish PayTV and VOD platform Movistar+.
EWIP 2026 will present outstanding European film projects and connect filmmakers with important industry representatives in cooperation with FilmFest Hamburg. EWIP will also be supported by many longstanding partners, who will sponsor prizes and service vouchers totalling around 100,000 EUR. This year’s sponsors are the postproduction company The Post Republic, the Berlin-based K13 Studios as well as Gruvi, the film marketing specialist and the translation service firm Wayfilm. Furthermore EWIP will continue the successful partnership with „Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners“, consisting of Loft Tonstudios, Zeigermann_Audio, Optical Arts and Zeitkostüm.
Registration for the International Film Distribution Summit is reserved for professionals actively working in the film industry. Further information regarding IFDS can be found on its website (https://www.international-film-distribution-summit.com). For further press information and enquiries please contact the press agency mm filmpresse, Tobias Reißmann, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 23, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Claudia Hegner, Tel. 03741 – 55 03 414, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Click HERE to find more information about the members of the European Work in Progress (EWIP)’s Jury.
