The backup_festival 2010 in Weimar is looking for the next dimension of experimental short films and thus sets up a contest for the new approach to the medium of film. In a time where film is no longer bound to cinema or television, its further development lives on avant garde border crossers with captivating ideas, who detect the „In-between“, break open previous categorisations and create new forms of narration.

The aim of the festival is to encourage innovative and creative ways of filmmaking beyond commercial cinema and to explicitly differentiate itself from other film contests which are already established but addressed exclusively to film schools. Exactly for this reason, for the first time in the 12th year of backup, only contributions by students and alumni from art, media and design schools will compete.

The backup_festival fosters young talents, provides a forum for artistic young filmmakers to present their works to a broad public and furthermore offers the opportunity to do networking with established experts from the film industry.
But first and foremost the festival enables an intense exchange between film, design and media artists as well as theoreticians and producers – the connection between the protagonists should be constantly tangible.

With the combination of workshops and panel discussions with professionals of the media community, newcomers and interested individuals are able to try out, reflect and deepen their knowledge. For the first time, backup also provides special agenda items for pupils and young adults.

The interaction and exchange between filmmakers, experts, media industry and the audience are the centre of the festival as well, as it is not only technological innovations anymore that make the festival interesting.

Extraordinary films, workshops and discourse, eccentricity, philosophy and unlimited party – an inspiring meeting of the young international media community – providing all these is the aim of the backup_festival 2010!