When was the last time you listened to someone – and changed your opinion as a result? Who do you enjoy listening to? And who do you listen to far too rarely?
From June 2–7, 2026, the 42nd Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg wants to push back against contemporary dynamics of hyper-accelerated media consumption and cancel culture. Instead, we create a space for questioning, enduring, and negotiating – a cinematic credo of empathy. Together with you and this years’ festival motto »Listening«.
»Listening also means asking: who listens to whom – and under what conditions? As a festival, it is more important than ever for us to offer emancipatory movements the screen they deserve.« – Maike Mia Höhne, Artistic Director
The »Laboratory of the Present« section foregrounds feminism as our 2026 main focus, presenting five curated programs that explore themes such as emotional resistance, collective knowledge, trans* identities and feminist peace movements. Together, they examine how gender, labor, and political struggle are experienced, represented, and contested. Curators are Maxa Zoller, Gertrude Malizeni, Dr. Elisa Linseisen, Sophie Holzberger, Selina Robertsen, Sarah Wood and Lucía Salas.
Another central focus is the concept of waiting, explored by the Palestinian curator Yazid Anani. In two programs, waiting is not presented merely as a pause; rather, we experience how it disciplines the body and regulates mobility.
Additional sections expand the dialogue: the »Archive of the Present« highlights South American resistance and AIDS-related image archives, while »Voices« turns to Kosovo and Iran, presenting films that engage with civil rights, visibility, and the imagining of alternative futures.
Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg also brings together a wide range of panel discussions, industry gatherings, informal meet-ups, parties, exhibitions and plenty of yet unexpected highlights. At the same time, Junges Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg Mo&Friese invites younger audiences aged 4 to 18 to explore a lively and diverse program.
More details are on the way. Until then, you can catch all latest news and impressions on Instagram. We can’t wait to see (and listen to) you again very soon!
