TRIAL OF HEIN

28 queer film festivals, a common voice for queer cinema.

QueerScope – the association of independent queer film festivals in Germany – connects queer film festivals from across the German-speaking world.

Since 2016, the member festivals have jointly awarded the QueerScope Debut Film Award. Each year, this award honors an outstanding feature film debut that brings queer realities to the forefront and stands out with a unique cinematic signature. The award is endowed with 5,000 euros.

This year, the QueerScope festivals have chosen the feature film debut TRIAL OF HEIN by Kai Stänicke. The film premiered at this year's Berlinale and impressed the member festivals with its captivating story and cinematic quality.

Congratulations to Kai Stänicke and the entire team of TRIAL OF HEIN!

The team of PERLEN is very pleased to present the QueerScope Debut Film Award 2026 on October 25th during the film screening, with the presence of director Kai Stänicke.

► Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

► Kommunales Kino Hannover (Sophienstraße 2)

QueerScope-Debut Film Award: All Previous Winning Films

The QueerScope Debut Feature Film Award recognizes outstanding feature film debuts with LGBTIQ* themes, awarded by the network of independent queer film festivals in Germany and Switzerland. The prize, worth 5,000 euros, honors filmmakers who, with their first feature film, open up new perspectives, make queer stories visible, and enrich queer filmmaking. Since its inception, the award has been presented to a diverse range of narrative and documentary films from various countries. The following overview brings together the films that have been awarded so far, their directors, as well as the country of production and the location of the respective award ceremonies.