Welcome to HARD:LINE International Film Festival

Once a year, the international HARD:LINE Film Festival presents barriers and perspectives of extreme cinema and transforms Regensburg into a capital of genre and subculture. Together, films are seen, discussed, celebrated or condemned here. Over five days, contributions from the genres of horror, thriller and science fiction are shown, mostly at least as German premieres.

As a member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), the festival presents the coveted Méliès D'Argent Award for the best European short film entry. Many renowned guests from all over the world are invited to present their work in Regensburg and answer questions from the audience. HARD:LINE offers a platform for the darker side of cinema entertainment and presents border crossers of good taste, will-o'-the-wisps of popular genres or simply highlights beyond the mainstream.

HARD:LINE consistently celebrates the freest of all genres!

Admission to the events is strictly from the age of 18!

HARD:LINE at a glance

Thirteen years of the finest film festival culture with thousands of visitors each year
248 films and 163 film premieres. Including 13 world premieres, 13 international premieres, 16 European premieres and 121 German premieres
79 filmmakers from all over the world as guests of honor at film screenings and award ceremonies

What others say about us

Das Manifest
Das Manifest Film Magazine
"The Hard:Line Festival is a pleasantly quaint film festival perfectly organised by real enthusiasts with a strong family touch, where you can have a lot of fun away from watching films!"
Filmdienst
Filmdienst Online cinema portal
"Approach the subject with a more ambitious focus."
Chad Archibald
Chad ArchibaldDirector
"One of my favourite fests in the world."
Scary Movies
Scary MoviesHorror movie web portal
"Established as an annual must-attend event for many film fans. After all, there are world and German premieres to see here every year and a unique atmosphere to experience."
Bayern 2
Bayern 2Zündfunk
"Selected with great passion and with love and connoisseurship".
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
Mittelbayerische NewspaperDaily newspaper
"Extreme cinema with depth"
Simeon Halligan
Simeon HalliganDirector
"An amazing festival."
Deadline Magazine
Deadline MagazineFilm Magazine
Extreme cinematic excesses and unique genre gems that are second to none.
Kult
KultEvent Magazine
"Above all, it's the film selection that scores points with both die-hard horror fans and true cinephiles."
Gabriel Carrer
Gabriel CarrerDirector
"Incredible, unique and punk rock."

Important links

News

Hold up! The 2026 submission deadline has passed!

The submission deadline for HARD:LINE 2026 has passed. Now it's time to get down to business. We will be unveiling our program in the coming weeks.

The late deadline for our submission period is coming to an end soon.

The late deadline for submissions is January 31, 2026. So if you still want to submit films, now is the time!

Tickets 2026 – how, where, when?

Here is some preliminary information about our ticket sales for 2026.
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P29 Group
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Old Penninger home distillery
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Association of Bavarian Film Festivals
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