Werkleitz Gesellschaft

Werkleitz Gesellschaft e.V. is a German cultural organization dedicated to the support, realization and presentation of film culture and media art. It was founded in 1993 by 27 students and cultural practitioners from both the old and new German federal states in the village of Tornitz/Werkleitz, and has been based in Halle (Saale) since 2003. The association operates locally to internationally through event formats and projects, combining exhibitions, film programs, performances and publications that bring artistic perspectives on current social themes to a broad audience. The organization's flagship public event is the annual Werkleitz Festival, which emerged in 2008 from the Werkleitz Biennale and has established itself as a significant international stage for film and media art. Earlier biennials such as Tapetenwechsel (1993), Cluster Images (1996), Sub Fiction (1998), [real]work (2000), Zugewinngemeinschaft (2002), Common Property/Allgemeingut (2004) and Happy Believers (2006) built its reputation, with the rural setting leading to the label "documenta of the East." Since 2008 the festival has been held annually in the urban space of Halle and other locations in Saxony-Anhalt, each edition focusing on a socially relevant theme. Beyond festivals, Werkleitz runs scholarship and funding programs including the European Media Art Platform (EMAP), the A38 production scholarship and Werkleitz project funding, supporting and networking artists and collectives nationally and internationally. Since 2011 it has offered the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC), a practical continuing education program for filmmakers and media professionals. Its in-house equipment rental provides professional gear and advice for non-commercial artistic film and video productions. In cooperation with Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Werkleitz operates the Videorama as a presentation space for video art and a shop window into the city. Werkleitz is institutionally funded by the State of Saxony-Anhalt and unites members active in experimental and documentary film, media art and digital culture. Its activities span a media lab, artist presentations (Visiting Artist, Supported Artist), workshops on film preparation, recording, post-production and film/media theory, and the Cinovid database for experimental film and video art. The association continues to publish open calls, podcasts and festival programs, maintaining a strong presence in German and European media art networks.

Werkleitz Gesellschaft was founded in 1993 by 27 students and cultural practitioners from both the old and new German federal states in the village of Tornitz/Werkleitz, and was entered in the register of associations that same year. Its first project was the Werkleitz Biennale 1993 under the title Tapetenwechsel ("Change of Wallpaper"), which programmatically signaled a departure toward a new concept of a media art festival: the joint and equal presentation of film/video, visual art, computer art and performance in a culturally and financially weak rural area. This approach distinguished Werkleitz from urban media art centers and earned it attention beyond specialist circles; in 2002, Ulrich Wickert referred to it on the Tagesthemen news program as the "documenta of the East." The biennial was held every two years until 2006, with editions including Cluster Images (1996), Sub Fiction (1998), [real]work (2000), Zugewinngemeinschaft (2002), Common Property/Allgemeingut (2004) and Happy Believers (2006). In 2004, the City of Halle invited the association to establish its headquarters there; for logistical and structural reasons, the members followed the invitation, and by association resolution of 24 October 2004 the society left Werkleitz and has operated from Halle since 2003 (the move being completed in 2004). From 2008 onward, the biennial was replaced by the annual Werkleitz Festival, held in the urban space of Halle and other locations in Saxony-Anhalt. Festival editions have included AMERIKA (2008), .move (2009), Angst hat große Augen (2010), ZOO (2011), .move forward (2012), the anniversary festival Utopien vermeiden (2013), Doppelgänger (2014), .move ON (2015), Trans-Positionen (2016), Nicht mehr, noch nicht (2017), Holen und Bringen (2018), Modell und Ruine (2019), Unter uns (2020), move to… (2021), Mehr oder Weniger (2022), Mein Schatz (2023), Tank oder Teller (2024), Planetarische Bauern (2025) and Früher oder Später (2026). The 2019 edition Modell und Ruine was funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and held in Dessau on the occasion of the Bauhaus centenary. Alongside its festivals, Werkleitz has built a portfolio of funding and training programs. In 1995 it initiated the European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE) with changing European media institutions as partners; supported by multiple EU grants, the program has supported around 150 European artists to date. In 2018 the European Media Art Platform (EMAP) emerged from this work. Since 2011, with support from the European Social Fund and the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Werkleitz has offered the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC), a six-month continuing education program for media professionals in Central Germany focusing on documentary film. The association also runs the A38 production scholarship, Werkleitz project funding, and Supported Artist formats, and since 1996 has maintained Cinovid, described as the world's first comprehensive internet database for experimental film and video art. In cooperation with Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, it operates the Videorama as a presentation venue for video art. Werkleitz is institutionally funded by the State of Saxony-Anhalt and continues to organize projects, open calls, podcasts and festival programs.

• 2026

  Festival "Früher oder Später" (Sooner or Later) on the theme of time.

• 2019

  Festival "Modell und Ruine" held in Dessau for the Bauhaus centenary, funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes.

• 2018

  European Media Art Platform (EMAP) emerged from the EMARE program.

• 2011

  Launched the Professional Media Master Class (PMMC) with support from the European Social Fund and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung.

• 2008

  Werkleitz Festival established as an annual event, replacing the biennial; first edition "AMERIKA".

• 2006

  Final biennial "Happy Believers".

• 2004

  Biennale "Common Property/Allgemeingut"; association resolution of 24 October 2004 formalized departure from Werkleitz.

• 2003

  Moved headquarters to Halle (Saale).

• 2002

  Biennale "Zugewinngemeinschaft"; Ulrich Wickert called Werkleitz the "documenta of the East" on Tagesthemen (31 July 2002).

• 2000

  Biennale "[real]work".

• 1998

  Biennale "Sub Fiction".

• 1996

  Biennale "Cluster Images"; began maintaining the Cinovid database for experimental film and video art.

• 1995

  Initiated the European Media Artists in Residence Exchange (EMARE) program.

• 1993

  Founded by 27 students and cultural practitioners in Tornitz/Werkleitz; entered in the register of associations; first Werkleitz Biennale "Tapetenwechsel" held.

Non-profit cultural association and internationally oriented platform for film culture and media art, institutionally funded by the State of Saxony-Anhalt, operating from Halle (Saale) with local-to-international reach.

• Werkleitz Festival

  Annual international festival for film and media art held in Halle and other locations in Saxony-Anhalt since 2008.

• Werkleitz Biennale

  Biennial media art festival held from 1993 to 2006, known for combining film/video, visual art, computer art and performance in a rural setting.

• European Media Art Platform (EMAP)

  Residency and funding program for artists and collectives, emerging in 2018 from the EMARE exchange initiated in 1995.

• Professional Media Master Class (PMMC)

  Six-month practical continuing education for documentary filmmakers and media professionals in Central Germany, offered since 2011.

• Videorama

  Presentation space for video art and shop window into the city, operated in cooperation with Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle.

• Cinovid

  Internet database for experimental film and video art, maintained since 1996.

1. 1Werkleitz Gesellschaft official websitewerkleitz.de
2. 2Über Uns | Werkleitz Gesellschaftwerkleitz.de
3. 3Werkleitz Gesellschaft – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Werkleitz Gesellschaft – Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Rezeptionsgeschichte von Thomas Müntzer | Werkleitz Gesellschaftwerkleitz.de
6. 6Geschichte der Bauernbewegung | Werkleitz Gesellschaftwerkleitz.de