FRACTO
Experimental EncountersMay 2026
Berlin, Kunsthaus ACUDFRACTO is an annual film festival held in Berlin since 2017, dedicated to fostering discourse around avant-garde and experimental filmmaking. Organized by the non-profit association FRACTO e.V., the festival takes place at Kunsthaus ACUD, an independent art center founded in 1991 in East Berlin. As the only city festival of its kind and one of the few in Europe, FRACTO continues to amplify the visibility and relevance of experimental film practices.
The 2026 edition will bring together filmmakers from around the world and feature a range of international premieres. A central focus is dedicated to Cécile Fontaine, a French experimental filmmaker renowned for her material-based and collage-driven approach. Working with found footage, scratching, soaking, and layering, Fontaine reclaims cinema’s discarded edges as fertile ground for poetic reassembly. Her films reflect a practice rooted in minimal resources, tactile gestures, and a radical sensibility of visual recycling.
Over the years, FRACTO has presented an average of more than 90 international experimental films across 15 programs, including numerous premieres and thematic focuses. Past editions have featured works by Stan Brakhage, Claudine Eizykman, the Finnish Artists’ Moving Images Scene, Milena Gierke, Paolo Gioli, Emmanuel Lefrant, Dóra Maurer, Jean Painlevé, and Peter Tscherkassky, among others—highlighting the breadth and diversity of global experimental cinema.