SILBERSALZ Science & Media Festival

When Science Meets Storytelling

The SILBERSALZ Science & Media Festival is a phenomenon rarely found elsewhere in Germany. Since 2018, the international festival in Halle (Saale) has been combining science communication, film art, immersive media, and live performance into a five-day program that appeals equally to researchers, filmmakers, students, school classes, and the general public.

Organized by Documentary Campus eG and funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, SILBERSALZ is internationally recognized as one of the most important festivals at the intersection of science and media. Researchers appear alongside filmmakers, and artists alongside science journalists on the stages, in cinema halls, and museums of the Saalestadt.

2026: Focus on Health

The 9th edition, from October 28 to November 1, 2026, centers on the broad theme of Health. Body, mind, prevention, illness, technology, care, the future of medicine – all these will be explored through films, discussions, VR/XR experiences, concerts, and installations. The call for program submissions is open until April 30, 2026. The festival is intentionally accessible: free admission to all programs.

More Than Just a Film Festival

SILBERSALZ's format distinguishes it from many other science festivals: it doesn't just show classic documentaries. The program includes dome films (on a 360° dome screen), sci-fi, series, children's and family programs, VR installations, immersive performances, live concerts with a scientific connection, DJ sets, and discussion formats.

Parallel to the public program, the SILBERSALZ Industry Conference takes place at the Leopoldina – National Academy of Sciences: a two-day industry meeting for science communicators, filmmakers, and media professionals with expert talks, workshops, and networking. Halle's role as the seat of the Leopoldina is no coincidence – the city in southern Saxony-Anhalt is an important scientific hub, home to the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, and the Bosch Foundation partnership.

Anchored in Saxony-Anhalt, Internationally Connected

SILBERSALZ is a festival with global ambitions – contributions come from all over Europe, Asia, America, and Africa – and at the same time, one that is deeply rooted in Halle and the Saalekreis region. The venues are spread throughout the city center: from the Puschkino cinema to the Mitteldeutsches Multimediazentrum, the Volkspark, the Stadtmuseum, and the Zukunftszentrum Halle. Anyone who visited the festival in 2025 – with 45,000 visitors and 120 events in five days – knows that the city immerses itself in a scientific and cultural atmosphere in early autumn, rarely experienced elsewhere.