Berlin Music Video Awards 2026
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
From Around the World to Kreuzberg: The Berlin Music Video Awards Return in 2026
From June 11 to 13, 2026, the Berlin Music Video Awards return to Club Gretchen for their 14th edition, once again turning Kreuzberg into a meeting point for filmmakers, performers, musicians and visual artists from around the world. From actors and interdisciplinary artists such as Gabriela Neves to experimental performers and emerging filmmakers, the programme reflects the diversity of Berlin’s international creative landscape.
(In photo: Gabriela Neves)
Over the years, the BMVA has developed into much more than a traditional award show. It’s a space where underground productions, experimental visuals and large-scale international projects exist side by side, reflecting the diversity and unpredictability that continue to define Berlin’s creative scene.
What makes the festival feel particularly connected to Berlin is the openness between disciplines. Music videos are not treated as promotional material alone, but as fully constructed visual worlds shaped by direction, styling, cinematography, editing and performance.
For BMVA 2026 nominee and performer Luna, whose music video “Away With The Fairies” is nominated in the Best Song category, Berlin’s atmosphere feels deeply connected to the kind of creative freedom reflected throughout her work:
“Berlin feels like a lucid dream. It allows you to be fully yourself, or fully someone else and no one questions it.”
(In photo: Luna by Rae Tait)
That sense of creative freedom continues throughout this year’s programme. International productions connected to globally recognised artists appear alongside independent projects and emerging filmmakers, creating a space where experimentation carries the same weight as scale.
At the same time, the festival remains deeply rooted in Berlin’s local creative identity. Club Gretchen’s industrial architecture and strong connection to the city’s nightlife and music culture make it a fitting home for an event that seamlessly transitions between screenings, live performances, and a club atmosphere.
Where Music Videos Become Entire Worlds
Many of the artists and performers participating in this year’s edition describe music videos less as supporting material and more as extensions of artistic identity.
Saint Ahmad, whose self-directed work is part of this year’s programme, describes music videos as spaces where music expands into something immersive:
“I absolutely love music videos, I feel like that is where I get to create an entire world out of the music that I make in the studio. Allowing the audience into my creative world and really into the emotions of the music. Creating a true visceral experience that hits the: mind, body and soul.”
(In photo: Saint Ahmad)
This idea of building complete visual environments appears throughout the 2026 programme, from AI-driven image worlds and experimental editing structures to performance-focused productions and more intimate low-budget works.
The festival’s Experimental Culture Day on Friday continues to highlight projects that move outside conventional formats, embracing surrealism, transformation and more unconventional visual storytelling approaches.
Artists such as Yasha Oddity and Melis reflect that same spirit through collaborative projects that move between performance, visual art and experimental storytelling.
(in Photo: Yasha Oddity and Melis by Maxim Stano)
A Festival Built on Individuality
Part of what keeps the BMVA distinct is the way it creates space for radically different artistic identities to coexist without flattening them into one aesthetic direction.
A similar sense of individuality appears in the work of performer and nominee HannaH Stamina. Her nominated music video “Let Me Be Myself” embraces themes of self-expression and nonconformity that strongly resonate with the spirit of both the festival and the city itself:
“I think the Berlin Music Video Awards carry the spirit of Berlin itself. It is free, out of the box, artistic, edgy, and open-minded. Being your true self is literally the theme of my song and video that got nominated.”
(In photo: HannaH Stamina by corlazzzol)
Artists from different countries, genres and visual traditions come together within the same programme, creating unexpected connections between underground experimentation, performance art, fashion aesthetics and contemporary music culture.
That diversity is also reflected in the live programme, where screenings transition naturally into performances and DJ sets, blurring the line between cinema, concert and nightlife experience.
(In photo: Tine Tiel)
Why BMVA Continues to Matter
With participants and nominees from more than 56 countries, the Berlin Music Video Awards continue to grow internationally while remaining closely connected to the creative energy that defines Berlin.
For many artists, filmmakers and performers, the festival is not only a place to present finished work, but also a space to exchange ideas, discover collaborators and experience how visual culture continues to evolve across different scenes and disciplines.
As jury member Melita Radocaj describes it:
“BMVA has a unique energy and identity. It feels international, forward-thinking, inclusive, and genuinely connected to the creative community. It embraces both craft and experimentation, which makes it a special space where bold ideas are welcomed and celebrated. ❤️”
That openness also extends to the festival’s electronic and live programme, where artists such as HelloTrip bring more intimate and improvisational approaches into the wider BMVA atmosphere.
(In photo: Hellotrip)
The Event Program: https://www.berlinmva.com/tickets-2026/
For more information on the festival, full nominee lists, tickets, and event details, visit: https://www.berlinmva.com/
Date: June 11-13, 2026 (doors open: 17:00)
Location: Club Gretchen (Obentrautstr. 19-21, 10963 Berlin, Kreuzberg)
The event is open to the public.
Tickets are available now. Secure your spot before they sell out!
Get your ticket here: https://www.berlinmva.com/tickets-2026/
Follow the Berlin Music Video Awards:
- Facebook: https://fb.com/berlinmva
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berlinmusicvideoawards/
- Twitter: https://vimeo.com/user252505152
- Website: https://www.berlinmva.com/
