Friedrichshafen Film Festival – Now or Never / ZF Short-Film Award 2026
Jonathan Brunner wins the ZF Short Film Award 2026 with From Ecuador With Love
From the perspective of the plants, the film observes the processes on an Ecuadorian rose farm. Tightly packed and sorted for perfection, the roses are prepared for transport to the global North. But it’s not only the roses — the workers, too, are part of a system.
From Ecuador with Love
The protagonist of this short film is plucked, beaten, skinned, and loaded. Where her beauty serves as proof of affection, a different perspective on a widely used symbol is revealed to us. As simple as it is ingenious, this beautifully shot short film follows the path of the rose as a consumer good. The observational documentary form deliberately chooses to forgo voice-over, opening up a space for reflection: after all, it is the women themselves who tend to the roses, prepare them, and ultimately send them off to end up in a gift box. So who is giving what to whom? Preserved declarations of love for those who perform the invisible labor behind them, when the roses are sent FROM ECUADOR WITH LOVE to the Western world. In its documentary clarity and unpretentious approach to work processes, what stands out most is the finely crafted image and sound editing, in which every cut — including those into the stems — becomes palpable. Each framing decision seems to consciously oscillate between the visible and the invisible. For all its sociopolitical relevance, this nine‑minute film is above all else: a love letter to the cinematic form. A cinema that can shift perspectives and make them visible.
The ZF Short Film Award 2026 goes to Jonathan Brunner for FROM ECUADOR WITH LOVE.
So ist das Leben und nicht anders
Faces melt, snails glide through the divided windows of possibility that make up our biographies. In a time when we urgently need connection and community across generations, this film is a true discovery. It creates a total work of art from animation and documentary form, while remaining rhythmically and audiovisually sharp. As we follow Mrs. Miko, we brush against questions of transience and watch memories at the very moment of their dissolution. Through it all, a life‑affirming melody resonates, opening a space for empathy that stays with us and envelops us like a mink coat, reminding us: This is life and nothing else.
The Special Mention goes to Lenia Friedrich for SO IST DAS LEBEN UND NICHT ANDERS.
For his nine‑minute documentary From Ecuador With Love, Jonathan Brunner receives the ZF Short Film Award, endowed with 15,000 euros. The Audience Award of the ZF Art Foundation, worth 1,000 euros, goes to Masha Mollenhauer for the short film The Good Woman.
Last weekend, the 17th Filmtage Friedrichshafen – Jetzt oder Nie took place, organized by the Kulturbüro Friedrichshafen. The highlight of the film festival was the competition for the ZF Short Film Award and the Audience Award of the ZF Art Foundation. Twelve very different short films by young directors competed in the festival: from animated films and documentaries to 30‑minute dramas, offering once again a broad range of themes and cinematic styles. On Saturday, the audience enjoyed the diverse competition program late into the night, immersed in the special atmosphere of the Kiesel, eagerly awaiting the jury’s decision and the counting of the audience award votes. The short film The Good Woman by Masha Mollenhauer and her team, addressing restrictive abortion laws in Poland and the accompanying societal and familial pressures, was the clear audience favorite and received the Audience Award of the ZF Art Foundation worth 1,000 euros.
The winner of the 2026 ZF Short Film Award, endowed with 15,000 euros, is German director Jonathan Brunner. His short documentary From Ecuador With Love observes the production process on a rose farm in Ecuador from the perspective of the plants. Tightly packed and sorted for perfection, the roses are prepared for transport to the Global North. According to the synopsis, not only the roses but also the workers are part of a larger system.
With his outstandingly photographed short film From Ecuador With Love, Jonathan Brunner deeply impressed the jury: “The protagonist of this short film is plucked, beaten, skinned, and loaded. While her beauty is used to express love, we are offered a new view of a symbol that is used in countless ways. As simple as it is ingenious, this beautifully photographed short film follows the path of the rose as a consumer good. The observational documentary form deliberately forgoes a voice‑over, opening a space for reflection: after all, it is women who tend to the roses, prepare them, and ultimately send them off in gift boxes. So who is truly giving what to whom? Preserved declarations of love for those performing the invisible labor behind them, as the roses travel FROM ECUADOR WITH LOVE to the Western world. With its documentary clarity and unpretentious approach to labor processes, what stands out most is the finely crafted montage of image and sound, where every cut made to the stems becomes palpable. Each decision regarding framing seems to consciously shift between the visible and the invisible. Despite its social and political relevance, this nine‑minute film is above all one thing: a declaration of love to the art form of cinema. A cinema that can shift perspectives and make things visible,” the jury stated.
An Honorable Mention was awarded to Lenia Friedrich for So ist das Leben und nicht anders: “Faces melt, snails move through the divided windows of possibility that shape our biographies. At a time when we urgently need connection and community across generations, this film is a discovery. It creates a total work of art through animation and documentary form, remaining rhythmically and audiovisually sharp. As we follow Mrs. Miko, we brush against questions of impermanence and watch memories at the moment of their dissolution. A life‑affirming melody resonates throughout, opening a space for empathy that stays with us and envelops us like a mink coat, reminding us: So ist das Leben und nicht anders.“
The ZF Short Film Award not only honors filmmakers but also supports the short film genre: “The prize money is earmarked and must be used for the production of a new short film,” said Regina Michel. Jonathan Brunner appreciates this, expressing gratitude for the recognition of his work: “Such awards give crucial energy to keep going in the world of filmmaking—especially when the funding for the next film is already partially covered. Receiving support of this scale is a great privilege!”
Jonathan Brunner (born 1996) is a director of documentary and commercial films. After completing a bachelor’s degree in media design at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Jonathan has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since 2020. His film “Border Conversations” received awards at DOK Leipzig and Dok.fest Munich, among others, and was shortlisted for the German Short Film Award. Jonathan is currently working on his first feature-length documentary film. At the 17th Friedrichshafen Filmtage, he won the ZF Short Film Award 2026 with his short documentary From Ecuador With Love.
Press release:
Jonathan Brunner wins the ZF Short Film Award 2026 with From Ecuador With Love
Further informations to Jonathan Brunner:
Jonathan Brunner
The Friedrichshafen Film Festival will take place for the 17th time from 12 to 16 March 2026.
Organized by the Friedrichshafen Cultural Office, the Film Festival will once again present a wide range of award‑winning and remarkable short and documentary films by young filmmakers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The festival’s selection jury has put together an exciting programme with many current themes. As every year, there are numerous cinematic gems to discover — from short animated films and powerful short documentaries to a thirty‑minute drama, offering great thematic and cinematic diversity.
Screened at the film festival are entertaining, high-quality and socially relevant films. After the screenings, audiences have the opportunity to enjoy panel discussions with the film-makers in attendance, hosted by a moderator.
Festival Opening with Live Performance
Film and music have always been closely connected. To open the festival, artist Jörg Mandernach brings this fusion to life in new ways. On Thursday from 6:30 pm, he will present a performance combining his own short films and electric‑guitar improvisation.
Born in Saarbrücken in 1963, Mandernach explores, among other things, how to translate his graphic works into short films within his multifaceted artistic practice. Created in a kind of “stream of unconsciousness,” drawings flow into one another as animated chains of association, creating a metamorphosis of forms and content.
Jörg Mandernach, Artist in Residence of the ZF Art Foundation in 2001, has received several contemporary cultural awards. He studied art at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart, where he also held a substitute professorship in painting from 2020 to 2021.
A conversation with the artist will follow the performance.
Presentation of One Way Ticket to Tbilisi by Paul Ploberger, Winner of the 2023 ZF Short Film Award
With his comedy Nackte Männer im Wald, Paul Ploberger impressed the festival audience in 2023, winning both the ZF Short Film Award and the Audience Award of the ZF Art Foundation. The prize money of EUR 15,000 motivated the young filmmaker to create a new short film: One Way Ticket to Tbilisi.
At the 2024 Film Festival, the audience was given a rare opportunity to see the then‑unfinished film in a test screening — offering unique insight into Ploberger’s creative process.
This year, the filmmaker returns to the festival with his sensitive story about friendship and coping with grief, presenting the completed final version.
One Way Ticket to Tbilisi tells the story of Lena, a young woman whose friend Joni dies while traveling in Georgia. She travels there and learns that Joni may have taken his own life. Unable to believe it, Lena begins to reconstruct Joni’s final days in Georgia. Along the way, she meets art student Nana and discovers that she and Joni share a secret.
A film discussion with director Paul Ploberger and producer Kathrin Kaisinger will follow the presentation.
Competition for the 2026 ZF Short Film Award
The Festival highlight is the competition for the ZF Short Film Award worth EUR 15,000 and the Audience Award of the ZF Art Foundation worth EUR 1,000.
The grand finale of the thrilling Kurz und Gut competition is the presentation of both prizes by Regina Michel, Executive Manager of the ZF Art Foundation, on Saturday, 14 March, at around 10:30 pm at Kiesel im k42.
Festival Opening with Live Performance, Animated short films by Jörg Mandernach, Artist in Residence ZF Art Foundation 2001, Thursday, 12 March 2026, 6:30 pm.
Admission is free! As seating at “Kiesel” is limited, tickets must still be reserved:
Ticketshop Kulturbüro Friedrichshafen – Animierte Kurzfilme von Jörg Mandernach Tickets, K42, 88045 Friedrichshafen – online bestellen
Presentation of One Way Ticket to Tbilisi by Paul Ploberger, Winner ZF Short Film Award 2023, Friday, 13 March 2026, 6:30 pm.
Admission is free! As seating at “Kiesel” is limited, tickets must still be reserved:
Ticketshop Kulturbüro Friedrichshafen – One Way Ticket to Tbilisi Tickets, K42, 88045 Friedrichshafen – online bestellen
Competition for the 2026 ZF Short Film Award
Saturday, 14 March, from 4:15 pm.
Ticketshop Kulturbüro Friedrichshafen – Filmtage Friedrichshafen 2026 – Jetzt oder nie – Kurzfilmticket Tickets, K42, 88045 Friedrichshafen – online bestellen
Programme for the 2026 Friedrichshafen Film Festival
Filmtage-Friedrichshafen-2026
Download programme
Download poster
Friedrichshafen Film Festival Tickets
Tickets are available via the ticket service of the Cultural Office:
Ticketshop Kulturbüro Friedrichshafen – Alle Events
Dokhtar’am
from Pedram Sadough
I Think About the Roman Empire Every Day
from Katia Sophia Ditzler,
Die letzten Menschen
from Nicolás Pindeus,
In Schuss und Kette der Nomaden
from Samira Alizadehghanad
The Good Woman
from Masha Mollenhauer
Der Badeanzug
from Amina Krami
Ich hätte lieber einen anderen Film gemacht
from Suze Itzel
From Ecuador With Love
from Jonathan Brunner
So ist das Leben und nicht anders
from Lenia Friedrich
Night of Passage
from Reza Rasouli
The Undying Pain of Existence
from Oscar Jacobson
Skin on Skin
from Simon Schneckenburger
– Vivien Buchhorn, curator and film historian, director of the Flensburg Short Film Days
– Alina Cyranek, author, director and producer
– Dieter Krauß, founder of “guckloch” Villingen-Schwenningen, board member of the AG Filmfestival
– Lukas März, author and director
– Regina Michel, managing director and curator of the ZF Art Foundation
Single ticket: 11 €, reduced 9 €
Children’s programmes: Children 6 €, Adults 9 €
FILM AB!
Children’s programmes Short-film pass: Children 9 €, Adults 11 € (valid for FILM AB! 4+ and 8+)
Short-film pass: 20 €, reduced 14 € (valid for all 3 programmes „Kurz & Gut“)
Festival ticket: 38 €, reduced 26 € (valid for all films on all festival days)
For organisational reasons, festival ticket holders are only guaranteed a seat if they arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the screening.
Further information:
City of Friedrichshafen: Friedrichshafen Film Festival