The Arts in Germany

From 2 to 7 May 2013, the International Short Film Festival will be taking place in Oberhausen.



Boasting a history that dates back to the 1950s, the Oberhausen Short Film Festival has become something of a time-honoured tradition. Nonetheless, the festival is less about tradition, and more about new short film forms and themes. After all, as the festival’s organizers explain, these are “the most important source when it comes to renewing film”.

This year’s theme of Flatness: Cinema after the Internet is concerned with finding out how filmmakers react to the boundaries and possibilities of a digitized world of images. Another question that will be raised is whether a visit to the cinema is an antiquated collective experience that has nowadays been replaced by an individualized experience in front of a laptop screen.

Alongside the international competition, the Short Film Festival will also see prizes awarded to filmmakers from Germany. The German Competition features short films from all over Germany, while films from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia were selected for the NRW Competition. Furthermore, the best German music video will be chosen for the MuVi Award.