"Short film is a great first step for a budding filmmaker. That's how I made my beginnings and Oberhausen was an important step on my path to become a Director." Roman Polanski

"I smoked my first cigarette here. For years, I saw every single film at the Westdeutsche Kurzfilmtage, looking forward to those days in Oberhausen every year. These events were important for me, for my decision to become a filmmaker." Wim Wenders

"There can be no doubt that the Oberhausen Short Film Festival has written film history...The short film has kept itself young, and so has Oberhausen. This atmosphere, this creative power are what still distinguishes short films today." Gerhard Schröder (German Chancellor 1998-2005)

"The short film over the course of the 20th century has evolved in so many different directions that it's really hard to think of it as a unified medium anymore. That's why I love the Oberhausen Festival - it celebrates the kind of radical evolution that short film has gone through in the blink of an eye. (...)  54 years is a long time in the film world! It's amazing to me that Oberhausen has been able to chart its course in the turbulent waters of our information age with such dedication to the new spirit of film that it shows each year. Kudos!!" Paul D. Miller aka Dj Spooky that Subliminal Kid