We are living in an era of upheaval, one that is eroding our previous certainties at a speed that is as fascinating as it is unsettling. Not only are technological changes transforming our economies, but even the very underpinnings of our existence. This is a time that demands more from us than mere adaptation; it necessitates the courage to shape the future in an era of uncertainty.

“It [work] is at the very foundation of the world; it is the basis of our self-respect,” as Henry Ford, one of the driving forces behind the second industrial revolution, once said. But today, at the epicentre of the fourth industrial revolution, this foundation is tottering. In the face of artificial intelligence, which is beginning to challenge the human monopoly on creativity and thinking, we need to reorient ourselves. It is no longer merely a matter of more efficient processes in a globally networked world, but rather the existential question of: What will remain of humanity if the machines take over? And this is opening up a wide field of discussion here.

The 38^th FILMFEST DRESDEN is dedicated to precisely this issue with its focus on “Work in Progress”. The short films in this thematic section offer food for thought and explore creative possibilities in an open process – or in other words, like work in progress. As a format, short film invites its viewers to experience different perspectives and let themselves be surprised by experimental forms and ideas.

May I express my gratitude to Anne Gaschütz and her entire Festival Team, who have passionately opened up this important space for debate. And may I wish all the guests in Dresden inspiring encounters and insightful moments in the darkness of the cinema so as to change the light we cast on tomorrow’s world.

Dr. Wolfram Weimer

German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media

Dear Short Film Enthusiasts,

We are currently in the middle of the “Generational Change – A New Justice” Trilogy, which runs until 2027. What began last year with “Let’ Stick Together!” is now continuing with “Work in Progress” as this year’s thematic focus. Thus, the 38^th FILMFEST DRESDEN is addressing precisely those questions that are galvanising society right now: What is fair? What am I actually worth? And how do we want to work and live together in the future?

Despite the tight budgetary situation, we remain strongly committed to FILMFEST DRESDEN. As an institution within the international short film scene, the festival is an indispensable venue for exchanges, togetherness and a critically important social discourse.

Beyond the hustle and bustle of everyday (working) life, the festival is drawing our attention to what is hidden: What preoccupies our friends behind closed doors, and what is truly familiar to us about strangers? Themes such as loneliness, identity and migration are being explored in an incredible variety of ways, and that in documentary, fictional and experimental formats.

The 90^th birthday of Ernst Hirsch is providing an opportunity to also spotlight Dresden’s film history. The SLUB (Saxon State Library – Dresden State and University Library) and the museums in the city of Dresden have acquired the private collection of the Dresden filmmaker and are presenting excerpts from his cinematic treasure trove at the festival.

And once more, various opportunities are available for our youngest viewers to immerse themselves in the world of short films. With the YOUNG SHORT FILM CINEMA, a new media education project has now been established. The intention with this is to promote critical thinking and media literacy from an early age. The festival’s Young Curators are the best proof that children and young people can also open our eyes when it comes to watching films!

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entire Festival Team for their commitment. And I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the prize sponsors of this festival, who are supporting and sustaining the filmmakers and FILMFEST DRESDEN in what continues to be a difficult situation.

May I wish all visitors to the film festival lively exchanges and wonderful moments of inspiration.

Your

Barbara Klepsch

Saxon State Minister for Culture and Tourism

Dear Film Enthusiasts from Across the World,

a warm welcome to the 38^th FILMFEST DRESDEN. It is always wonderful and moving to see our city attract film enthusiasts from all over the world – something which it has been doing with great success for nearly 40 years now. Welcome to exciting cinematic experiments and lively exchanges about them!

This year’s film festival motto is “Work in Progress”, with it focusing on a thematic field that resonates with many people, including us here at the city’s administration: Since the relocation of numerous city departments to the newly constructed Stadtforum Dresden administrative building last year, these “new worlds of work” have become a reality for us. And this means: a new workplace every day, along with new faces, phone and video conferences via headsets, and, at the close of day, a truly clean desk instead of a normal, tidied-up workspace.

Of course, such a new working situation also offers entirely new opportunities for cooperating between the departments, as indeed for optimising the work processes – or in other words, for digitalisation. However, this has not reduced in the slightest our close contacts with the citizens of Dresden. Quite the contrary, with the most recent example of this closeness being the exceptionally well-attended and of course purely analogue public dialogue event “Reconstruction of the Carolabrücke Bridge”, where the residents of Dresden engaged in discussions with representatives from four architectural firms. In a nutshell: I am convinced that many entertaining “work-in-progress” films could be shot in the Stadtforum Dresden administrative building.

Now back to the film festival: I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the organising team. It is truly admirable how, year after year, they manage not only to delight the many thousands of international guests, but to also continually captivate the Dresden audiences and attract the younger generations – with amazing festival film screenings in Dresden’s cinemas and the free -of-charge Short Film Open Air programme on Schloßplatz.

For these very reasons, the state capital of Dresden has been a magnanimous and supportive partner of the film festival from the very beginning. Moreover, tradition demands this of us: Anyone who speaks of Dresden as a city of art can also take pride in Dresden as a city of cinematic art! With this in mind, may I wish the 38^th FILMFEST DRESDEN many eager visitors, as well as exciting films and lively discussions – and perhaps this might even set some new “cinematic” processes in motion.

Dirk Hilbert

Mayor of the City of Dresden