Agenda

Each year at the end of May, the Stadtkino Basel and surrounding locations are home to an event where the borders between arthouse cinema and the art world, between filmmakers and their audience, are becoming blurred. Ever since its first edition in 2011, Bildrausch has been dedicated to the innovative film d’auteur. As a «festival of festivals», it invites new discoveries that caused a stir at the international festival circuit as a result of their idiosyncratic cinematic language and their uncompromisingly different approach to narration. Curiosity and openness are the key principles when it comes to our selection of films. We focus on cinematic quality, on the pleasure of visual expression and the art of telling stories in a new way. From different perspectives, we take a fresh look at current issues. In short: We focus on film as an art form.

At the heart of Bildrausch lies the international competition «Cutting Edge», which showcases a dozen carefully selected films. An international jury awards the best film with a prize sum of 5,000 Swiss Francs and presents its winner with the «Bildrausch Ring of Film Art». A series of special screenings deepen the Bildrausch idea of cinematic innovation and avant-garde, complemented by an eclectic supporting program that consists of conversations with filmmakers, panel discussions, lectures, workshops, artistic interventions and concerts. The direct exchange between filmmakers and the audience is a key feature on the festival’s agenda. This includes the «Filmmakers’ Dinner», when directors and spectators sit together to share a meal and join in lively conversations. The Stadtkino Basel is the festival center: it serves as the main screening venue, information center, festival lounge and as a space for meet and greets. Only a few steps away from the Stadtkino is the second screening venue, the kult.kino atelier.

www.bildrausch-basel.ch