International Short Film Festival

At the 57th International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen, there may be no time for settling back into your chair and munching on popcorn. The festival's shortest entry lasts just 13 seconds, representative of an experimental genre within the film branch that draws all sorts of creative new takes on film. Some 470 short films from across the world will be shown in Oberhausen from May 5 - 10, and 141 of those will compete for prizes.

It's just one option among many for movie lovers in May. Stuttgart is hosting its popular Festival of Animated Film from May 2 - 8, and the documentary film festival DOK.fest takes place in Munich from May 4 -11. And of course, the big stars will be out in Cannes, France from May 11 - 22.



125 years of Ku'damm

It was at one time the be all and end all of Berlin's cultural life: the Kurfürstendamm street, known by locals today as the Ku'damm. During the street's golden age during the 1920's, artists cavorted alongside the upper crust as people headed to any number of theaters and cafes. But then came the Nazis, the Second World War and the Berlin Wall. West Berlin became a kind of island in the middle of the Eastern Bloc, and the Ku'damm was the looking glass into the West. After reunification, it seemed like everything streamed toward eastern Berlin: the tourists, the money and the cultural scene. The East was hip, and the West was out, leaving the Ku'damm with empty houses and businesses.

But that has been changing again in recent years. People are investing in Berlin's most famous avenue just in time for its 125th birthday on May 5. That's the day when work began on the street. According to the expectations of Otto von Bismarck, then chancellor of the German Empire, the Kurfürstendamm was to be modeled after the Champs-Elysees in Paris.



Theatertreffen goes indie

Everything is different at this year's Theatertreffen in Berlin from May 6 - 22, at least according to the press in Germany. Each year, the jury of theater critics selects 10 of the most notable German-language productions from the previous 12 months. The surprise in 2011 is that just one of the major German stages is included - that of Cologne. Big names in the theater world like Berlin's Deutsches Theater, the Thalia Theater Hamburg or the Kammerspiele in Munich aren't invited. But this year the event includes three pieces from the independent theater scene after the jury faced criticism for neglecting smaller stages and troupes.

When it comes to smaller theater scenes, there's another festival on the horizon in May. Called the Internationales Figurentheater Festival, it's all about puppet shows and puppet theater. Perhaps one of the event's biggest obstacles is overcoming the prejudice that plays with puppets are just for children. Nevertheless, the event has its share of fans with around 25,000 visitors in 2009.



Remembering Joseph Beuys

One of Germany's most important post-war artists, Joseph Beuys, would have turned 90 on May 12 - a good occasion for reflection on the avant-garde figure at a museum housing the biggest archive of his works in an isolated country palace in western Germany. The Schloss Moyland gallery will continue a photo exhibition on the artist through October 3. Beuys is one of the most photographed German artists, and the archives at Schloss Moyland contain around 7,000 images of the artist and his work. They were collected by brothers Hans and Franz Joseph van der Grinten, who were close friends of the artist in the 1950s. Beuys passed along documents, letters, press clippings and recordings to them throughout his life. The exhibition includes rare portraits of Beuys that shed light on the impact he had on the people around him.

Lena hopes for a repeat

It's been nearly a year since Germany experienced Lena Fever. In 2010, the then-19-year-old Lena Meyer-Landrut won the Eurovision Song Contest, an international music event watched by over 50 million viewers. Germany won the title for the second time last year, 28 years after singer Nicole captured Europe's hearts with her song "Ein bisschen Frieden" ("A Little Bit of Peace"). According to the rules of the contest, the winning country from the previous year gets to host the contest, and the city of Dusseldorf has the honor this year. It'll be hard to come by a ticket to the finale on May 14 - the 35,000 available tickets were sold out within a few hours. Germany is sending Lena once again this year, though a second win is unlikely.

Month of traditions

May is full of traditions in Germany, starting with May Day, which many Germans like to usher in with a little dancing. Known in German as Tanz in den Mai, the event April 30 into May 1 can be traced back to rural festivals with dance and music that have been celebrated in the country's Catholic regions for centuries. Long before social networking and Web 2.0, May Day was a chance for young men to find a partner. To show their affection, they would place a decorated birch tree in front of their love's house, a so-called May tree. The intent wasn't just to express their feelings for the lady in question but also to send a signal to any rivals for her attention. It's a tradition that lives on, and not just in villages but in bit cities, too. The trees are secured against balconies, lamp posts or parking meters.

Shortly thereafter, another group of ladies take the spotlight, though. On the second Sunday in May (May 8), Germany celebrates Mother's Day. The holiday originated in the US, and it has been celebrated in Germany since 1923. The Nazis co-opted the holiday to such an extent that some wanted to do away with it altogether in the years that followed. Nonetheless, the event has survived - much to the joy of florists everywhere.

Author: Petra Lambeck / gsw
Editor: Kate Bowen