72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, 28 April – 3 May 2026
The 72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen will open tomorrow
On Tuesday, 28 April 2026, the 72nd edition of the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival will open, the second under the direction of Madeleine Bernstorff and Susannah Pollheim. Over six days, almost 500 short film productions from 59 countries will be screened. 121 of these are competing in five competitions for prize money totalling almost 45,000 euros. Around 700 accredited guests from almost 70 countries are expected. Numerous discussions and talks round off the festival programme. In light of the rise in AI-generated images, the major Theme programme, entitled “based on true events?”, explores the question of reality and fiction in film.
In the festival’s five competitions, 121 productions from 48 countries are competing for prize money totalling just under 45,000 euros. Under the title “based on true events?”, the major Theme programme explores the relationship between reality and fiction in film – from the early days of cinema to the present day – in light of the rise of AI-generated images.
Other sections include “Beyond Omnibus Film”, which showcases unusual formats of recent episodic film. “What’s Left?” presents critical German short films from the 1970s and 80s from the Oberhausen film archive. Four retrospectives are dedicated to Linda Bilda (Austria), Charlotte Pryce (USA), Gernot Wieland (Austria) and the collective Les films de la maison (Belgium). A discovery are the films of Tom Chomont, presented by the renowned American film restorationist Ross Lipman, who will also be presenting his book The Archival Impermanence Project in Oberhausen. An extensive line-up of short films for children and young people, German and international music videos, and numerous other cinematic discoveries round off the programme. This year’s Podium discussion series will focus on AI-generated images, humour and class in film, and strategies against the TikTok aesthetic.
The 72nd Festival edition will end on Sunday, 3 May 2026, with the award ceremony at the Lichtburg Filmpalast Oberhausen.
Complete festival programme: https://kurzfilmtage.filmchief.com/shop/tickets
Oberhausen, 27 April 2026
Press contact: Sabine Niewalda, T +49 (0)208 825-3073, niewalda@kurzfilmtage.de