When is the 70mm Todd-AO Festival 2026?

9 to 11 October 2026, at the Schauburg in Karlsruhe.

A wide film gauge with a far larger image than 35mm, projected from the reel. Todd-AO is the 70mm variant first used in 1955.

Are the films shown in the original language?

It depends on the film. New and English-language titles usually run in the original; a few classics survive only dubbed. We mark the version per screening.

Where does it take place?

At the Schauburg, Marienstraße 16 in Karlsruhe, in the big Cinerama hall.

How do I get tickets?

Through the Schauburg, as a three-day pass or a single-day ticket. Book early, there are only 350 seats.

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70mm on the big screen · since 2005

70mm Todd-AO Festival 2026

9–11 October 2026Karlsruhe

For one October weekend the Schauburg in Karlsruhe shows films the way roadshow premieres once looked: printed on 70mm and projected from the reel onto a curved screen. The 19th edition runs 9 to 11 October 2026.

What it is

The Todd-AO Festival is a celebration of large-format celluloid. Over three days it screens 70mm prints, restored roadshow classics alongside a few recent films struck on 70mm, all shown from film rather than from a hard drive.

It is one of only a handful of dedicated 70mm festivals anywhere, and Germany's main one. The audience is loyal and international, and the whole thing happens in a single cinema.

What 70mm and Todd-AO are

70mm is a wide film gauge: the picture is captured on a negative more than twice the area of ordinary 35mm, printed onto 70mm film and run from a reel. Todd-AO, the format the festival is named after, was developed by the showman Mike Todd with American Optical in the early 1950s and first used on Oklahoma! in 1955.

Shown on the Schauburg's curved screen, the way roadshow premieres were staged, the image is larger, sharper and steadier than anything digital. That difference, not a line-up of titles, is the reason people travel here.

The room: the Schauburg

The Schauburg opened in 1929 and was rebuilt as a Cinerama cinema in 1968, reopening with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Its main hall seats 350 in front of a curved screen 17 metres wide and 7 high, and its projectors still run 70mm, 35mm and 16mm film.

The whole festival happens in this one room, with its red curtains and roadshow staging.

The Schauburg on KinoNow

The programme

The 2026 line-up is announced closer to the festival. Expect restored 70mm classics next to a few recent films struck on 70mm, each shown from film.

What comes round every year

A breakfast buffet on festival mornings
On-stage introductions and lectures on the prints
A Friday-evening get-together with local Hoepfner beer

Last year, for a sense of it

The 2025 edition ran Amadeus, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo and The Brutalist, all in 70mm.

Original or dubbed

The version is decided per film. New and English-language titles usually run in the original, some with German subtitles; a few vintage classics survive only as German-dubbed 70mm prints. We mark the version on each screening.

Going

Only 350 seats, and the prints are one-offs, so popular titles sell out. There are three-day passes and single-day tickets, sold through the Schauburg. Everything happens at one cinema on Marienstraße.

Festival website Premium formats Classics in cinemas

Common questions

When is the 70mm Todd-AO Festival 2026?: 9 to 11 October 2026, at the Schauburg in Karlsruhe.
What is 70mm?: A wide film gauge with a far larger image than 35mm, projected from the reel. Todd-AO is the 70mm variant first used in 1955.
Are the films shown in the original language?: It depends on the film. New and English-language titles usually run in the original; a few classics survive only dubbed. We mark the version per screening.
Where does it take place?: At the Schauburg, Marienstraße 16 in Karlsruhe, in the big Cinerama hall.
How do I get tickets?: Through the Schauburg, as a three-day pass or a single-day ticket. Book early, there are only 350 seats.

Facts on this page checked on 3 September 2026.

Sources