Munich Film Festival 2026 ends with record attendance and political message

Duchovny's political message

His words were also a direct jab at US President Donald Trump and his campaign slogan. Pain and loss were what united people, Duchovny continued: "Es sind der Schmerz und der Verlust, die uns vereinen – nicht Erfolg oder große Höhenflüge." About the moment of receiving the award, the 65-year-old said: "Solche Momente erlebt man vielleicht ein- oder zweimal im Leben, wenn man Glück hat."

In addition to Duchovny, Italian actor Toni Servillo was also honored with a CineMerit Award during the week. Other prominent guests included Sandra Hüller, Veronica Ferres, Tobias Moretti, as well as the brothers Florian and Maximilian Brückner. Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar was also among the star guests of the festival.

Stars and guests

German actor Elyas M'Barek was also seen in Munich after his return from New York. At the opening, Claudia Roth, a member of the Bundestag for the Greens and former Minister of State for Culture, fanned herself with a fan due to the extreme temperatures.

Awards and audience favorites

The festival's highest-valued prize, the CineCoPro Award worth 100,000 euros, was secured by the German co-production team of the coming-of-age film "Strange River" by Catalan director Jaume Claret Muxart. The film was partially shot in Lauingen and follows the character Dídac, who cycles along the Danube with her family. A German theatrical release is planned for August 27.

The best international debut was awarded to the family drama "A Girl Unknown" by Chinese filmmaker Jing Zou. The audience award in the international category went to "If Only the Year Had 364 Days" by Almourad Aldeeb, which tells the story of a Syrian refugee's return to his homeland.

Among the German films, the audience chose Helena Hufnagel's "Lieblingsmenschen – Die außergewöhnliche Freundschaft von Agnes & Amir," which tells the story of a 101-year-old woman and a young refugee. The theatrical release is scheduled for November 26.

Children's films and debuts

The award for best children's film went to Margherita Spimpinato for "Mein Sommer bei Nonna," in which the boy Nico must spend the summer with his great-aunt in Sicily without internet or friends. The most popular children's film award went to "Plitsch Platsch Forever," which shows children fighting for their outdoor pool and was released in theaters on Thursday.

The CineCoPro Award is presented by the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (FFF) with the support of the Bavarian State Chancellery and recognizes international productions with German involvement.

Overall, according to the organizers' assessment, the Munich Film Festival offered "great moments" for its audience despite the heat – and with Duchovny's speech, also a distinctly political note.