- Oberhausen Short Film Days' Lead Relocates to Stuttgart (Alternative Version):
Long-time head of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Lars Henrik Gass, is calling it quits next year and headed to Baden-Württemberg. Come February 2025, he'll step into the director role of a new film and media hub in Stuttgart. The announcement was made by the festival office.
Gass will oversee the festivities for the 71st regular Oberhausen event in the spring of 2025 (April 29 to May 4) until January's end. He was appointed managing and artistic director of the Short Film Days back in 1997.
Gass is leaping towards a groundbreaking media institute in Stuttgart
Gass mentioned his new role as his reason for moving on after 27 years – his role as inaugural director in Stuttgart will allow him to lay the groundwork for an institution that will stand out nationwide in terms of content, design, organization, and boasting a big project team.
The future House of Film and Media Stuttgart (HFM), set to launch in 2029, will focus on all forms of moving images – from animation to games to augmented reality – across approximately 4,500 square meters.
Gass's departure from Oberhausen is going to be a bummer, stressed city mayor Daniel Schranz (CDU). "He skillfully transformed the traditional film festival by smartly incorporating art and media trends, turning it into a globally recognized symbol of our city," Schranz said. With his exit, an era of the festival characterized by embracing pop culture and digital transformations – thereby reaching a brand-new audience – will come to a close.
The succession isn't set in stone yet
The upcoming leadership of the festival during Gass' period included the world's first music video prize at a film festival. He even steered the first entirely digital edition of a German film festival during the corona period.
Currently, a strategy is being developed for the succession of both festival management and artistic direction. The Short Film Days are considered an integral part of the format and are closely associated with acclaimed directors such as Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and the late Christoph Schlingensief.
Gass's tenure as the managing and artistic director of 'The International Short Film Days in Oberhausen' will conclude at the end of January 2025.After his departure, 'The International Short Film Days in Oberhausen' will continue to uphold its reputation as a globally recognized symbol of innovation and digital transformation in film and media.
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