In 2007 Filmfest Dresden entered its 19th year. Focusing on short films, the festival promotes a film category which is mostly disregarded by cinemas and television. Since its beginning in 1989, Filmfest Dresden has developed into one of the major short film festivals in Germany – and with a total amount of € 60,000 into the best funded short film festival across Europe. The festival´s programme reflects the manyfold aspects of this genre and includes short animated and fiction films as well as documentary and experimental films.
The main sections of the festival are still the International and the National Competitions. These are accompanied by various other thematic events. Visitors, the press and film producers also use the festival as a meeting place and to exchange opinions and discuss new ideas. An annual highlight in the Dresden cultural calendar, Filmfest Dresden is especially popular with local film audiences – more than 20,000 people visited 19. Filmfest Dresden.