The Genius Loci Weimar Festival open call for audiovisual artists 2025

The internationally recognized Genius Loci Weimar Festival is accepting applications from video artists and filmmakers around the world. Applicants are invited to submit a 30-second 2D video that demonstrates historical awareness, architectural sensitivity, abstraction and creativity, narrative strength, and a thoughtful engagement with the local context. While classic video mapping approaches are welcome, the festival encourages innovative styles and techniques, including 3D animation, live-action, short film formats, and illustrative methods such as drawing, paper-cutting, and stop-motion. An international selection committee will choose two conceptual proposals for a designated building or object. Each selected project will receive a €10,000 production budget. The winning works will be presented in alternation on the building/object during the festival in Weimar, Germany from September 5–7, 2025. During the event, one of the two finalists will receive an additional award of €5,000.

The international GENIUS LOCI WEIMAR Festival was launched in 2012 as part of the ‘Weimar Summer’ initiative. The Genius Loci Weimar Festival is an internationally acclaimed audiovisual art event held annually in Weimar, Germany. Its mission is to reinterpret and animate the city’s historic architecture through site-specific video mapping and digital storytelling. The festival aims to fuse history, art, and technology, encouraging artists to engage deeply with local heritage while exploring innovative visual expressions.