16. Berliner Hörspielfestival der freien Szene | Wettbewerbe, Diskussion, Live-Acts

In the organizer's words:

Competitions, live acts, debates: The independent radio play scene invites you to the Akademie der Künste on Hanseatenweg from September 18 to 21, 2025.

FRIKTIONS

Four days of radio plays, documentaries and sound art: the 16th Berlin Radio Play Festival is a forum and audio-artistic-political experimental field for independent productions and the independent scene. As always, the heart of the festival are the competitions for the coveted "Burning Mics", as well as the talks with the authors and producers. The motto of this year's festival is FRIKTIONEN, with themes in the field of tension between fiction and friction. There are many areas of friction: between broadcasters and the independent scene, program policy and creativity, artistic self-image and artificial intelligence. Program highlights include the performance La modulation sismographique with accompanying installation by Stella Geppert, a live performance by percussionist Katharina Ernst with Polylog and a reading by actor and speaker Andreas Fröhlich from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. In addition, the new live play by artist and author Eran Schaerf Irrtümliche Liebe can be experienced. Punk musician, theater and radio playwright Schorsch Kamerun will sing and talk about subculture and responsibility. In addition, young and old can experience a sounding book tower interactively, presented by the "instrument invention platform" Selbstgebaute Musik.

The theme of FRIKTIONEN continues in the panel discussions.

Under the title "Between work and tool", radio playwrights, including Robert Schoen and Matthias Hornschuh, will debate AI-based works and the friction between artificial intelligence, creativity and production conditions. Radioeins from rbb will broadcast the discussion on the same evening in the "Medienmagazin". The future of artistic radio documentaries in times of cutbacks and disappearing broadcasting slots will be the subject of another panel discussion, also with prominent speakers. In our important network meeting, we let the sparks fly: with discussions between actors from publishing houses, editorial offices, training centers and freelance producers about areas of friction in radio art work, such as fees, entry opportunities and working conditions. In the program item Blind into the Future, a science fiction radio play produced jointly by people with visual impairments will be presented. And as every year, radio play enthusiasts can look forward to audio walks, talks, fun and parties. Be frictional!

Podiums:

Fri, 9/19, 3pm
The future of artistic radio documentaries
With Ingo Kottkamp (DLF Kultur), Johanna Tirnthal (author), Michael Lissek (SWR Kultur), Johannes Nichelmann (freelance producer) and the Feature-Offensive (Melina von Gagern, Stella Luncke, Lorenz Rollhäuser)
Moderation: Klaus Schirmer

Sat, 20.9., 1.30 pm
Between work and tool - AI in audio art
With Robert Schoen (radio play author and director), Matthias Hornschuh (composer and music enforcement officer), Anna-Sophia Lumpe (actress and chairwoman of the Association of German Speakers)
Moderation: Jörg Wagner (media magazine/radioeins)

Real-time broadcast from Deutschlandfunk Kultur on DAB+ in the "Documents and Debates" channel

Live stream via www.berliner-hoerspielfestival.de

The Berlin Radio Play Festival takes place in cooperation with the Akademie der Künste and is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.

Media partners: Deutschlandfunk Kultur and taz, die tageszeitung

Live stream: DLF Kultur, DAB+, channel "Documents and Debates"

In German language

Price information:

Day ticket € 12/8