Stories of Freedom 2026: Six award-winning films about people who refuse to accept injustice. Discover their stories on 11 November at Colosseum Berlin – admission is free.
In Amsterdam, a woman sits in front of her laptop and sends a friend request to a man she suspects of committing war crimes. On the Japanese island of Okinawa, a young mother fills her baby's bottle with tap water, unaware of what it contains. In Tehran, a piano teacher waits for her younger sister to return home from a night of protests. She never does.
Three women, three different worlds, three stories that seem to have little in common. Yet something connects them: a refusal to accept what has happened. They ask questions, search for answers and, in doing so, set change in motion.
On 11 November 2026, their stories come to the big screen at Colosseum Berlin. Stories of Freedom, a film award and screening event taking place during Berlin Freedom Week, honours six international films exploring courage, resistance and the struggle for freedom, democracy and human rights.
From protests in Belarus to the front lines of Ukraine and the oil-polluted Niger Delta, these films follow people who stand up against state violence, environmental destruction and discrimination. People who risk their safety, their freedom and sometimes their lives to challenge injustice.
Each award is accompanied by a screening, with conversations involving filmmakers, protagonists and experts offering opportunities to explore the stories beyond the screen.
All screenings are free to attend.
On Wednesday, 11 November 2026, all six winning films will be presented and screened at Colosseum Berlin, Schönhauser Allee 123. The programme invites audiences to discover people and stories that often remain at the margins of the daily news – and to engage with the questions they raise.
The day begins at 2:30 PM with a special screening of The Spies Among Us, a documentary exploring the surveillance methods of East Germany's secret police, the Stasi. A conversation follows the screening, offering a historical perspective on state control, resistance and the value of civil liberties.
Admission to all screenings is free. As seating is limited, we recommend booking a free ticket in advance. Explore the programme.
Stories of Freedom was initiated by The Good Media Network and Starlounge, taking place as part of Berlin Freedom Week with the support of the Senate Chancellery of Berlin and Berliner Sparkasse at the Colosseum Berlin, in partnership with Meine Schönhauser Allee. Berlin Freedom Week is a joint initiative of the Berlin Freedom Society e. V., the World Liberty Congress, the Robert Havemann Society, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation, and visitBerlin.
