Berlinale Co-Production Market

Overview

The Berlinale Co-Production Market is a financing event for producers who have feature film or drama series projects at the development stage and need international co-production partners. It runs for four days during the European Film Market (EFM) at the Berlin International Film Festival. The 23rd edition takes place February 14 to 17, 2026, at the Atrium Tower at the Berlinale Service Center.

For the 2026 edition, 35 feature film projects from 27 countries were selected from 390 submissions, a 50-project increase over the previous year. Women direct 16 of the 35 selected projects. An additional 10 drama series projects are presented through the Co-Pro Series strand, and 10 books are selected for the Books at Berlinale adaptation showcase. Over 600 producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors, and funding body representatives attend, with more than 1,500 one-on-one meetings pre-arranged by the market organizers.

Since its launch in 2004, more than 400 films and 25 series that were presented at the Co-Production Market have been completed. Recent successes include Franz by Agnieszka Holland, nominated in several European Film Award categories, and Mother by Teona Strugar Mitevska, starring Noomi Rapace. Six films presented at previous editions of the Co-Production Market are screening at the 2026 Berlinale across Competition, Perspectives, and Panorama sections.

Project Categories and Selection Criteria

Official Selection (Feature Films)

The Official Selection is the core program. Production companies submit feature-length fiction projects that are at the financing stage and suitable for international co-production. The selection committee evaluates artistic quality, the production and financing structure, the project's suitability for international co-production, and its potential appeal to attending producers and financiers.

Requirements for the Official Selection:

• Feature-length fiction film with international market potential
• Project at the financing stage, open to co-producers
• Full script available before the market opens
• The submitting company must have completed at least one international co-production (minority co-productions count, as do co-produced feature-length documentaries)
• At least 30% of the financing secured at the time of submission
• Budget range: approximately EUR 1 million to EUR 20 million

Submission materials include a completed online form, a 5 to 8 page treatment or detailed synopsis in English, a 5-page script excerpt, a financing plan in euros, visual material or mood book, and the director's previous work. A production company can submit up to two projects, but only one project per company can be selected.

Co-Pro Series (Drama Series)

Co-Pro Series presents 10 first-season, non-procedural drama series or miniseries projects seeking co-production and financing partners. The submitting company does not need prior international co-production experience for series submissions. Development and financing can be at earlier stages than for feature films. Submission materials include a one-pager, pilot treatment, season outline, financing plan, mood board, and script excerpts.

Talent Project Market

The Talent Project Market is a strand within the Co-Production Market for producers in the first 10 years of their career who are applying through Berlinale Talents. Talent Project Market projects are exempt from the 30% financing requirement and the prior co-production experience requirement. The producer must be a Berlinale Talents alumnus. If a project meets both the Official Selection and Talent Project Market criteria, the producer can apply to both, though a project can only be presented in one section.

Books at Berlinale

Books at Berlinale selects 10 novels for potential film adaptation, presented to producers and financiers attending the market. The submission period for books opens in September or October.

Submission Timeline and Process

The submission period opens in mid-August each year. Key deadlines for the 2026 edition:

• Feature film projects (Official Selection): September 17, 2025
• Talent Project Market: September 3, 2025
• Co-Pro Series (drama series): October 1, 2025
• Books at Berlinale: September or October (dates announced annually)

Producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors, and funding body representatives who want to attend without presenting a project can request an application link from early November to early December. Selected projects are announced in mid-January.

The Co-Production Market does not pay for travel or hotel costs and does not provide festival accreditation. Participants must secure their own European Film Market badge or festival registration first. Only accredited professionals can access the online features available to Co-Production Market participants.

Awards and Cash Prizes

The Co-Production Market awards several cash prizes to selected feature film projects:

• Eurimages Co-Production Development Award: EUR 20,000, awarded to a project from the Official Selection. In 2025, this went to Ibicaba - Visions of Paradise by Andrea Staka (Switzerland). A separate Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award of EUR 20,000 was also presented to a Ukrainian project.
• VFF Talent Highlight Award: EUR 10,000, awarded to a promising project from the Talent Project Market. In 2025, this went to March 14th by Alberto Gross Molo, pitched by producer Laura Egidos Plaja (Spain). Two nomination prizes of EUR 1,000 each go to runners-up.
• ARTEKino International Award: EUR 6,000, awarded by ARTE to an artistically outstanding project. In 2025, this went to Dreamgirl by Kaan Mujdeci (Turkey).
• Gen Z Audience Award: EUR 5,000, awarded to a project that resonates with young cinema audiences aged 20 to 28. The jury is composed of film students from German and French universities. In 2025, this went to 30 Days of Summer by Anastasiia Solonevych (Ukraine).
• World Cinema Fund Audience Strategies Award: An in-kind prize awarded to a project from a WCF-supported country, providing consultations on audience engagement and communication strategy.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Co-Production Market is not a festival section and does not screen films. It is a business event where producers pitch projects to potential partners. The value of attending is in the pre-arranged meeting system: the market organizers coordinate 1,500 meetings based on participants' priorities and the meeting requests they submit in advance.

Producers who have never completed an international co-production cannot apply to the Official Selection. If neither the producer nor any attached co-producers have international co-production experience, the only route is the Talent Project Market, which requires Berlinale Talents alumni status.

Projects that have already started shooting cannot apply, unless the shot material is not intended for the final film. The market is designed for projects that still have room to involve international co-producers.

Re-applications of previously rejected projects are accepted, provided the project has changed materially since the prior submission. The submission form should clearly state what has changed.

The Co-Production Market is part of Berlinale Pro*, which unites the European Film Market, the Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund under a single industry infrastructure.

See Also

For the Berlinale itself, see Berlin International Film Festival. For festival and market strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To evaluate the financial viability of a co-production structure, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator and the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.