14th Berliner Hörspielfestival (Berlin Audio Play Festival) Am Limit

The central focus of the 14th edition of the Berliner Hörspielfestival (BHF) will be on the competitions for the coveted “Brennende Mikros” (“burning mics”), which are endowed with high-quality audio equipment. Seventy-eight audio plays were submitted – ranging in length from 5 to 20 minutes – of which twelve were selected. In addition, there are the 48 “MikroFlitzer” (“MicroSpeedster”), which have a maximum length of one minute: produced within a period of 14 days, these works must include the phrase “Wo brennt’s denn?” (Where’s the fire?) as well as the noise of sound bubbles bursting. This year, the BHF is also presenting the advancement award for a debut work, endowed with funding for the production of a new piece in the Studio for Electroacoustic Music at the Akademie der Künste.

Besides the competitions, there will be a live concert by the GlasBlasSing ensemble from Berlin (“Liedgut auf Leergut”), an audio walk (“The Walk”) offered by the theatre and performance group Rimini Protokoll, a network meeting and a discussion of broadcast politics focused on the topic “Hörspiel – oder soll man es lassen?” (Audio play – or should we forget it?). The outcomes of the workshop for blind and visually impaired people that took place in the run-up to the festival will also be presented. An audio play bus – a mobile recording studio that will be set up at various locations in Berlin – will be available for spontaneous productions by members of the public.

The programme can be experienced not only on-site but also as a live stream via the Akademie der Künste Vimeo channel and the BHF’s YouTube channel. Deutschlandfunk Kultur will broadcast the festival on its digital channel “Dokumente und Debatten” on DAB+. In 2024, which marks the 100th anniversary of audio play, a full edition of the Berliner Hörspielfestival will once again take place.

A cooperation between the BHF and the Film and Media Arts Section and KUNSTWELTEN education programme at the Akademie der Künste.

Part of the “Draußenstadt” programme for outdoor urban culture in Berlin, initiated by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.