The CiNEMATOMEDIA Short Film Festival – Celebrating Creativity, Democracy & Community

On 26 October 2025 our team hosted a Short Film Festival in Bonn as part of the CINEMATOMEDIA project.

This festival brought together filmmakers, youth workers, and local residents to explore how filmmaking can serve as a tool for democracy, freedom of expression, and social reflection.

A Festival with Purpose

Our festival welcomed nearly 50 attendees from the local community in Bonn, The atmosphere was one of openness, where every story and perspective mattered and freedom of opinion and expression were encouraged.

The festival’s mission was to empower young voices and show how cinema can become a language of democratic participation and artistic expression, and we encouraged participants to engage and ask questions about the content of the films, the inspiration behind their messages, and the artistic process behind them.

Highlights from the Screenings

The audience experienced a diverse selection of short films created by participants in the CINEMATOMEDIA project, including:

Between Two Homes by Toqa Abdelmageed - a moving documentary following two Palestinian refugees in Egypt, navigating questions of identity and belonging.

Truth Needs a Voice by Guillermo Arce Stumpf, Charlotte Mousnier, Hazuki Fukuda & Louis Wiers - a story confronting climate denial and misinformation, and calling for urgent action.

Next Top Employee by Dionysis Kokkotakis- a sharp satire of modern workplace culture and the pressures of productivity.

We Helped Back Then by Hazuki Fukuda, Louis Wiers, Guillermo Arce Stumpf & Charlotte Mousnier - a bold and thought-provoking reflection on collective memory and moral responsibility.

The German Filmmaking Teams

Conversations that Continued Beyond the Screen

After the screenings, several of the film makers and actors had the opportunity to speak with the community about their creative processes and views on democratic speech, media literacy, artistic freedom, and the role of film in shaping public consciousness.

Many attendees expressed newfound interest in the CINEMATOMEDIA project and in exploring filmmaking as a form of expression.

A Big Thank You ❤️

We are deeply grateful to all the filmmakers, participants, and community members who made this event so special. Your engagement and reflections remind us that storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to connect, question, and inspire.

This Short Film Festival may have been just one evening, but its impact continues, reminding us that every story has the power to spark change.

👉 Learn more about the CINEMATOMEDIA project here: https://www.euthwonders.org/projects-cinematomedia