Oberhausen Manifesto
1962 - 2012
On 28 February 2012, the Oberhausen Manifesto will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its proclamation. What is unquestionably the most important group document in German film constituted a key turning point in a period that is among the most famous, and yet least-known, in the history of German cinema. The films made by the 26 signatories during their most active period (1958–1967) have never been systematically gathered together and preserved for posterity.
In order to remedy this unfortunate omission, the project Provoking Reality – 50 Years of the Oberhausen Manifesto has now been initiated as a concrete basis for addressing the proclamation and associated 1960s movements aiming at cinematic, cultural and political renewal in Germany.
Anniversary year 2012
During the anniversary year 2012, the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen will be engaging with this theme on various platforms and in collaboration with several national and international partners.
Due to a cooperation of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen with Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv and Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen, nearly 40 films by the signatories to the Oberhausen Manifesto were restored and preserved.
At the 58th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (26 April to 1 May 2012) the festival will screen these films under the title "Provoking Reality. Mavericks, Mouvements, Manifestos" and will also present further movements from the period of the Oberhausen Manifesto.
In spring 2012, these films will be available for distribution as 35mm copies at Deutsche Kinemathek and Bundesarchiv.
Additional retrospectives in Berlin, Vienna, Pesaro, New York and more are planned.