“Seven festival cities – seven jury members – seven films” is the motto of this competition section, which focuses on European (co-)productions. The film selected by the seven-member jury from Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart will be awarded the FEAR GOOD AWARD and announced at the end of the festival. These are the films and the jury for 2025.
after studying theater, film, and literature, Kathrin Horster initially worked as an assistant director in municipal theater before turning to journalistic writing with a focus on film, theater, and pop culture. Today, she works as a freelance cultural journalist for various newspapers in southwestern Germany and writes essays for MediaBooks.
tells radical stories with emotional power and psychological depth. Her films TORE TANZT (Cannes, Bavarian Film Award, German Film Critics' Award, among others) and PELIKANBLUT (Venice, Méliès d'Or, Best Director – Fantastic Fest) have been internationally acclaimed. With DIE KAISERIN (Netflix) and A THOUSAND BLOWS (Disney), she combines auteur cinema with popular form.
is a content creator and passionate film fan. Under the name “nikflixplus,” he has been inspiring over 750,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram with film recommendations since 2020. The horror genre is particularly close to his heart, which is why he has made it his mission to watch all horror films on Netflix in 2025 and take his viewers along with him.
after completing his media studies, he initially worked as a video editor and cameraman for a local Berlin TV station, where he learned pretty much everything that was important. He was then able to fully indulge his passion for cinema in his role as video editor at Filmstarts. For nine years now, he has been the voice and face of Filmstarts' YouTube channel.
has been a regular guest at the Fantasy Filmfest for over thirty years. As a film journalist, he writes for artechock and the Münchner Merkur, among others. His debut novel, “Das finstere Tal” (The Dark Valley), was adapted for the screen in 2014 by Andreas Prochaska, with Sam Riley, Paula Beer, and Tobias Moretti in the leading roles. His second work, “Der eiserne Marquis” (The Iron Marquis), was awarded the Tukan Prize.
born and raised in Dortmund, she studied film at the HFF Munich. Her debut ALMANYA celebrated its world premiere at the 2011 Berlinale and won numerous awards. This was followed by the documentary DIE NACHT DER NÄCHTE, which was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize. Her current co-production SAMIA received a Special Mention from the jury at its world premiere in 2024 at the Tribeca Festival.
is a videographer and passionate creator on TikTok and Instagram. There, he produces creative and entertaining content related to films and series. He is particularly passionate about getting more people excited about the big screen experience, especially in today's world.
