Artist Training, UdK Berlin Career College

The days in May and lovely people we'd love to remember!
Artist Training once again took part in the Academic Freedom Week. Originally launched by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 2023 in solidarity with researchers at risk, this year's Academic Freedom Week brought together 16 institutions, more than 800 participants, and 12 events across five days. Through film screenings, panel discussions, exhibitions, and workshops, the program highlighted the importance of protecting academic freedom and supporting scholars and artists at risk.

Artist Training and Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf co-organized the film screening and discussion at Cinema Paris (Institut français Berlin), exploring the intersections of conflict, war, and academic and artistic freedom. The event created space for critical reflection on how artistic and academic communities respond to crises and defend freedom of expression.

We were also pleased to attend the panel discussion “Academic Freedom at Risk: European Universities between Resilience and Responsibility” with Prof. Dr. Julia von Blumenthal (President, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Dr. Sevil Çakır (independent researcher), Prof. Dr. Markus Hilgert (President, Universität der Künste Berlin), and Pierre-Paul Zalio (President, Campus Condorcet),under the moderation by Jan-Martin Wiarda. The conversation addressed how higher education institutions can provide safe and supportive environments for at-risk scholars and artists, and how universities should uphold freedom, solidarity, and openness in increasingly challenging times.

Thank you to everyone who participated, contributed, and helped make these important conversations possible. Academic freedom is not a topic for just one week—it is an ongoing commitment.

Photos: .perutska

𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐠 (𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡 B2.1) 𝐢𝐦 𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐨𝐧 „𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧“ 𝐟ü𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐠
Course dates: July 6 – August 28, 2026
Where: Universität der Künste Berlin
📢📢📢Application deadline: June 1, 2026📢📢📢

This course is designed for prospective students with refugee backgrounds who wish to begin an artistic-academic program at a Berlin art college and already have German language skills at the B1 level.
We offer you a German language course (level B2.1) supplemented by additional activities—a get-together for discussion and advice, and excursions to Berlin’s art colleges. Participants can also attend Common Ground Community meetings.

𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯, 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘳𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘩 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 2025 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 2026 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐤𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐠 (𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐜𝐡 C1) 𝐢𝐦 𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐨𝐧 „𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧“ 𝐟ü𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐠

We would like to invite you to our new series of language courses within the Access Art Schools Berlin project!
It's a preparatory course program for refugee/at-risk student applicants.
The course is aimed at prospective students with refugee experience who would like to start an artistic-scientific degree course at a Berlin art academy and have already achieved a certain level of German.

𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 C𝟏 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦
1.06 to 31.07. 2026

Link for the registration in the comment section, soon in our linktr.ee!

📢📢📢𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬: 26.05.2026📢📢📢

Meet the second film of the program that will be presented as part of the screening at the Academic Freedom Week 2026, a cooperation between the Berlin University of the Arts and the KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg, and Institut français Berlin.

𝐌𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐏𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐮𝐛𝐧𝐚
𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦, 𝟏𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐧. 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬
𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐑𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅

19th of May, 2026
18:00
Cinema Paris
Moderation by:

Secure your free ticket now in our LINKTR.EE in Bio

Visuals: .hgol 🌻

It's time to present you one of the two films that will be screened as part of the Academic Freedom Week 2026, a cooperation between the Berlin University of the Arts and the KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg, and Institut français Berlin.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐘𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐡
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦, 𝟏𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐧. 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬

19th of May, 2026
18:00
Cinema Paris

Secure your free ticket now in .training LINKTR.EE in Bio!

visuals: .hgol 🌸

We would like to warmly invite you to a film screening at Cinema Paris on 19 of May! This event is a part of Academic Freedom Week 2026, a cooperation between the Berlin University of the Arts KONRAD WOLF Film University Babelsberg, and Institut français Berlin.

Academic Freedom Week 2026 will focus on the themes of protection and (re)construction. The event will center on the complex life journeys of scholars and artists who have been forced to leave their homelands due to war, persecution, or political pressure and are now making a fresh start in new social contexts.

The main organizers are the universities of Scholars at Risk Berlin-Brandenburg and the Berlin University Alliance. Over the past ten years, the participating universities have welcomed numerous scholars and artists at risk. In 2023, they founded a regional Scholars at Risk Section to pool resources and expertise and further expand support structures.

Film Program

My Grandmother is a Skydiver
Animated film, 13 min. Original with English subtitles.
Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Director: Polina Piddubna

The Non-Monument
Short film, 13 min. Original with German subtitles.
Director: Yara Saleh

The films will be shown in their original language with subtitles; the Q&A will be conducted in English.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Visual: .hgol 🌸