New duo takes over the management of the short film days Oberhausen!

New duo takes over the management of the short film days Oberhausen!

A significant change is before the international short film festival Oberhausen, which has existed since 1954 and is considered the oldest of its kind. From January 1, 2025, the experienced curator and author Madeleine Bernstorff and the event clerk Susannah Pollheim take over the artistic and commercial management of the festival. They succeed Lars Henrik Gass, who leaves the festival after almost three decades to found a new house for film and media in Stuttgart. According to Deutschlandfunk Kultur , both have already actively participated in the short film days-Bernstorff in the selection commission and Pollheim in the organizational team.

new tour with fresh ideas

The new management has set itself ambitious goals to further develop the festival. Bernstorff expressed that she wanted to work with the experienced team of the festival in order to redefine the programmatic orientation and to increase the attractiveness of the festival. "The extraordinary openness to artistic film, which Oberhausen has always followed with courage, is particularly important to me," says the designated artistic director. Pollheim, which grew up in Oberhausen, also emphasizes the importance of the festival for the city and would like to further promote it as a cultural icon, as on the website of the festival Kurzfilmtage.de can be read.

The Mayor of Oberhausen Daniel Schranz and Apostolos Tsalastras, head of the cultural office, express their confidence in the new management crew. They emphasized the need for the continuity of the festival and see the ideal duo in Bernstorff and Pollheim to secure the international reputation of the festival and at the same time address current challenges. The coming months promise exciting developments for the traditional festival and its diverse cinematic experiments.