SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- Seven new animated short films from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia went live on the ARD Mediathek streaming platform today, the result of the "Key Frames 2026" funding program run by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM). Regional filmmakers and production companies completed the films within a few months. MDR has scheduled a televised premiere for October 30 during its MDR Kurzfilmnacht broadcast.
Erzgebirge Wooden Figures Argue Politics At A Fictional Table
The three-part mini-series "Das letzte Wort" places carved Erzgebirge wooden figures around a table, with each episode tackling a different controversial topic. In the first installment, a nutcracker rails against Germany's mandatory broadcasting fee and public television, yet every character at the table admits to a favorite show, from medical dramas to the children's program Sandmännchen. The second episode unfolds during a heat wave, splitting the group between those who call renewable energy a "good breeze" and those who label wind turbines "windmills of shame." The third episode pits a nutcracker worried about immigration control against an angel critical of that stance and a harlequin arguing for equal rights.
Even the toughest critic at the table has a favorite show.
Balance Film in Dresden produced the three-part series under director Ralf Kukula. Tom Pauls and Anna Mateur, two well-known Saxon comedians, voice the carved cast. The three episodes account for three of the seven shorts funded under Key Frames 2026.
Four More Shorts Span A Shipwreck, A 2066 Family Split And Office Routine
"Made in Triptis" follows a Thuringian expatriate stranded on a tropical island, confronted by his past when the tide washes ashore a cup bearing the region's well-known onion pattern; Letty Felgendreher and Michael Knoll made the film, with actress Ilka Teichmüller as the voice, produced by Erfurt's Traumhaus Studios. "Geschwister: Ein letzter Wunsch," set in Germany in 2066, follows a terminally ill mother named Jessica who tries to reunite two children who have drifted into opposing political and social camps. Leipzig illustrator Schwarwel and writer Sandra Strauß drew both competing versions of the future from a single family's biography. "Meier-Schmidt passt sich an," directed by Theresa Strozyk for Halle's DenverMP, follows a man who loves his routine while the world changes rapidly around him. "Sprechzeit," made by Alina Cyranek and Falk Schuster for Halle's hug films, gathers voices from eastern and western Germany describing exclusion and alienation.
The lineup runs from a shipwreck comedy to a dystopian family drama set four decades from now.
MDM Confirms Key Frames Returns In 2027
MDM confirmed the program will continue next year, extending support for regional producers and distinct artistic voices. Key Frames follows the joint MDR-MDM program Fokus, launched in autumn 2024 to support emerging filmmakers broadly, while Key Frames targets short animation specifically from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.