FRACTO – Experimental Film Encounter

What is FRACTO?

FRACTO – Experimental Film Encounter is an annual festival for experimental film and Expanded Cinema in Berlin. Founded in 2017, the festival has established itself as a key fixture for the international avant-garde film scene over nine years. The venue is the ACUD KINO at ACUD Kunsthaus (Veteranenstraße 21, Berlin Mitte) — a cultural center that has been one of the central hubs of independent Berlin cinema culture since reunification.

Profile and Curatorial Line

FRACTO focuses on what the commercial and academic film worlds rarely show: experimental, often analog film works, found footage, film collages, in-camera observations, optical-mechanical transformations, Expanded Cinema. The curatorial principle of the 2026 edition formulates it as: "How the image moves between material presence and perceptual intensity." This is a programmatic commitment — FRACTO is interested in film as a material and perceptual experience, not primarily as a narrative.

9th Edition 2026

The 2026 edition is the 9th edition and will feature 61 films from Europe, America, and Asia, distributed across 5 sections, three artist focus programs, feature-length experimental works, and an Expanded Cinema presentation to conclude the festival.

Artist Focus 2026

• Cécile Fontaine (France) — Film collage and re-assembly techniques
• Peter Todd (UK) — in-camera observational films
• Moucle Blackout (Austria) — Color and optical transformation

Featured Programs

• Experimental Film Treasures #1: Feature-length experimental films (analog cinema)
• Expanded Cinema (Festival Finale): New work by Jan Kulka (Czech Republic) on Sunday evening, May 31st, at ACUD Club

Workshop

Accompanying this, a two-day workshop with Cécile Fontaine will take place on May 30th and 31st on the ACUD Rooftop (10:00 AM–5:00 PM, limited to 15 participants). Such dedicated workshops with the featured artists are a recurring element of FRACTO and part of the curatorial aim to not only show but also convey filmmaking practices.

ACUD Kunsthaus as Venue

The ACUD MACHT NEU at Veteranenstraße 21 — on the border between Mitte and Wedding (Brunnenstraßenviertel) — is one of Berlin's most renowned cultural centers for independent music, art, and cinema. ACUD KINO programs avant-garde and independent films year-round; ACUD Club is a central venue for the Berlin experimental music scene. FRACTO utilizes three different spaces within the building: the Kino, Club, and Rooftop.