Past Events
Online
September 24th MONDIACULT2025
MONDIACULT2025 is the world’s biggest cultural policy conference. Artistic Freedom Initiative partnered with the Penn Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Pennsylvania Museum (PennCHC), Resistance Now Together and INTERCOM (ICOM’s International Committee for Museum Management) to host a virtual side event, Countering Democratic Backsliding in Cultural Policy: Safeguarding Artistic Freedom and the Independence of Cultural Institutionst.
September 19th Press conference RESISTANCE NOW
Berlin | Germany
Austrian right-wing politician H.C. Strache took legal action against a Milo Rau speech documented in his latest book. The book, in which Rau examines the links between right-wing politics and the restriction of artistic freedom in Europe, had to be withdrawn from sale. At the press conference at Schaubühne Berlin the verdict of the trial was announced.
September 13th TOURSTOP IN OSLO
Oslo | Norway
The RESISTANCE NOW! tour stop at De Norske Teatret in Oslo featured two events focusing on ways to use art for activism.
3.9 THE SECOND COMING
New York | USA
The Department of German at NYU and Deutsches Haus at NYU presented "The Second Coming - Milo Rau in conversation with Elisabeth Bronfen."
2.9 RESISTANCE NOW - New York
New York | USA
Milo Rau joined the DOWN TO EARTH Festival on Tuesday, September 2nd. As part of his RESISTANCE NOW! project Rau participated in a panel with Tania Bruguera and Richard Schechner and in two conversations, one with Frank Hentschker and one with Carol Martin.
July 19th THE NEO GOSPEL
Barcelona | Spain
Coinciding with the performances of Medea’s Kinderen, by stage director Milo Rau, the D'A - Festival de Cinema de Barcelona, CCCB, and El Grec are organising a screening of a film by the director that aims to be a gospel of the 21st century.
9.7. European Theatre Talks July 2025
Avignon | France
Do artists in France and across Europe have enough protection from political interference? Is it still possible to make work that shocks, thrills and excites, as public funding is slashed and governments implement a ‘politics of taste’?
June 30th Democratic Backsliding and Free Expression
Avignon | France
In conversation with journalists, artists and civil society advocates, this panel examined the relationship between democratic backsliding and the growing state interference with freedom of expression worldwide, with particilar focus on hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
8.7. Café des Idées
Avignon | France
At the Festival d'Avignon, RESISTANCE NOW TOGETHER opens up to perspectives from the East and Middle East.
4.7. Theater Networking Talents
Craiova | Romania
TNT is an international festival dedicated to the new generation of artists – a place where fresh voices have the chance to be heard, and important space especially in a current political climate where many doors are being closed to the young artists.
7.6. KS& Small Forward
Luxembourg | Luxembourg
Directed by Belarus Free Theatre’s co-founding Artistic Directors, Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin, KS6: Small Forward marks BFT’s 20th anniversary in 2025, a landmark year to celebrate two decades on the world stage challenging dictators and building a movement for democracy, human rights and artistic freedoms.
May 30th - Open Culture!
Bratislava | Slovakia
The Open Culture! international conference took place in Bratislava on 29–30 May 2025, at the Old Market Hall, under the patronage of the mayor of Bratislava. Organized by the Open Culture platform in collaboration with Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) and international partners—including the Artistic Freedom Initiative, the European Alliance of Academies, Culture Action Europe, Resistance Now!, the European Theatre Convention, Opera Europa, PEARLE, the Network of European Museum Organizations, the Reset! Network, and others—the conference brought together key voices from the cultural sector.
May 22nd 69th Pearle* Conference
Athens | Greece
Building on previous discussions with Pearle* members, the programme will give special attention to artistic freedom, featuring a dedicated workshop and a panel with experts from legal, academic, and cultural backgrounds.
May 19th Slovak Focus
Olomouc | Czechia
The 28th edition of the Flora Theatre Festival took place from 9 to 19 May 2025. Its last four days (16 to 19 May) mostly focuse on Slovak cultural scene, presenting seven theatre productions, several discussions, concerts, and a performance/installation.
May 17th TO - DO Symposium
Budapest | Hungary
The Critical Culture Group started by organising a conference in 2023. Its starting point was that culture was in crisis, that part of culture that gives a right to criticism, that contributes to the social context and, where appropriate, intervenes - in a gentler or more radical way.
April 22nd Crit Cross
Vienna | Austria
When Verein K launched Crit Cross as a forum on art criticism seven years ago, there was no culture of collectively engaging with the genre of art criticism in Austria. Since then, we have collectively read and discussed over eighty texts and publicly discussed criticism with nearly 50 art writers, editors and critics who were guests at Crit Cross or came to the city in the framework of our Visiting Critics program.
9.4. PARALLAX - tour
Wiesbaden | Germany
The Hungarian independent company Proton Theatre was founded by the film and theatre director Kornél Mundruczó and theatre producer Dóra Büki back in 2009. Their latest premier, PARALLAX was one of the highlights of Wiener Festwochen | Freie Republik Wien 2024. Working with Hungarian actors and technicians, producing their shows in Hungary via international co-productions. Proton Theatre can not count on any funding in Hungary under the current government, they are left to bleed out as a consequence of the current Hungarian cultural politics. Existing is their act of resistance.
March 12th Berlin Speech
Berlin | Germany
Opening speech at the Forum for Performing Arts in Berlin.
4.3. Debate Techno-Fascism
Berlin | Germany
In a special debate series at Volksbühne, Milo Rau, !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Ece Temelkuran, Anne Roth, Hito Steyerl and Sönke Iwersen, among others, will discuss “Techno-Fascism: From Elon Musk to AfD.”
8.2. Demonstration 'Democracy needs you'
Munich | Germany
At the 'Democracy needs you' demonstration in Munich, Robert Misik shared the central positions of RESISTANCE NOW! with 320,000 people in his speech ' We will not be cozy !'. 'You are standing here today because you want to prevent the kind of conditions that prevail in my country,' he began his rousing speech and ended: 'We fight frenzy with reason, egoism with the spirit of justice and solidarity, or, as our Slovakian friend Matej Drlicka said: We beat the fascists with the power of love!'
November 30th, Maillon Theater
Strasbourg | France
The RESISTANCE NOW! Tour will make a stop in Strasbourg at the Théâtre du Maillon on November 30th. Here, the open letter RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE will be presented by the initiators in the presence of former French Culture Minister Catherine Trautmann. Matej Drlička, former director of the Slovak National Theater, Emmanuel Droit, university professor, Joris Mathieu, director, director of the Théâtre Nouvelle Génération, CDN, Lyon and Heidi Wiley, director of the European Theater Convention discussed the role of art in shaping democratic future perspectives in Europe.
Sign the petition RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE here !
November 16th Central European Forum
Bratislava | Slovakia
The next stop on the RESISTANCE NOW! tour, the Central European Forum 2024 in Bratislava, will explore the power of misinformation – from early radio and television to social media today. Discussions will examine the links between deception, fear, and the breakdown of trust, with featured speakers including French journalist Natalie Nougayrède, British historian and author Timothy Garton Ash and Milo Rau, Artistic Director of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna.
8.11. Jewish Museum Hohenems
Hohenems | Austria
On November 8, 2024, the Jewish Museum Hohenems was awarded the Rheintaler Kulturpreis Goldiga Törgga for its important work on controversial social issues. Milo Rau, artistic director of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna, gave the laudatory speech and took this as an opportunity to bring the RESISTANCE NOW! Tour to Vorarlberg and to honor the museum's commitment to intercultural dialogue and coming to terms with history. The award ceremony took place at the Kinotheater Madlen in Heerbrugg
7.11. Films for Future
Zurich | Switzerland
Milo Rau debates the interferences between art and activism with various guests: on the basis of the film/project White Cube by Renzo Martens and Rau's Jesus film project The New Gospel .
6.11. Prague Crossroads Festival
Prague | Czech Republic
The Prague Crossroads Festival is hosting another RESISTANCE NOW! tour stop. Dóra Büki from the Hungarian Proton Theater, which is facing unprecedented pressure from the Fidesz government, Miriam Kičiňová, artistic director of the Drama Theater of the Slovak National Theater, Jiří Havelka, the incoming artistic director of the Dejvické Theater and Milo Rau, artistic director of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna, will discuss their visions of a joint solidarity response to the danger posed by the new nationalism with Nina Jacques, dramaturg of the Prague Crossroads Festival.
For his opening speech, Milo Rau poses under the title Embassy of the Future the central question of his work in times of a global shift to the right and neoliberal budget cuts: Why theater? Why do we need this place – today more than ever?
Read the speech here .
5.11. ORF RadioKulturhaus
Vienna | Austria
Moderated by Milo Rau, artistic director of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna, Dóra Büki from the Hungarian Proton Theater, the dismissed director of the Slovak National Theater Matej Drlička and the Croatian philosopher and activist Srećko Horvat will discuss how we can stand up together for democracy, diversity and the freedom of art.
In cooperation with the ORF RadioKulturhaus.
4.11. European Theater Convention
Liège | Belgium
How to act as a public theater when governments follow non-democratic agendas? This edition of the European Theater Talks titled 'European Theater Talks: Free Culture – Resisting Political Interference' will focus on the increasing restrictions of freedom of expression in a European context, with interventions from artists, cultural figures and decision makers that work closely on themes of artistic freedom and democracy.
As a member of the Council of the Free Republic of Vienna Fariba Mosleh, Curator and Cultural Manager, will represent the Vienna Festival | Wiener Festwochen as a speaker.
10/17 Taiwanese National Theater
Taipei | Taiwan
The RESISTANCE NOW! Tour lands at the Taiwanese National Theater: the island Taiwan (Formosa) was colonized by the defeated army of dictator Chiang Kai-shek after the Chinese civil war in 1949, and the indigenous peoples were driven into the mountains. Milo Rau discusses art, resistance, education and the long road to democracy and equality with the indigenous activist, filmmaker and founder of the first indigenous kindergarten in Taiwan, Mayaw Biho.
On Monday night (October 21), Milo Rau joined the protests organized by Mayaw Biho in Taiwan against the construction of a luxury resort. He camped together with 100 activists in the bay under the Amis People's Sacred Mountain in front of the house of the indigenous Shu Lin family. The police and city officials were chased away by the activists in the morning hours and the bulldozer that was supposed to destroy the house disappeared (official press statement).
25.9. BITEF
Belgrade | Serbia
“Can Beauty Save the World?” asks Milo Rau in his opening speech at the 58th BITEF Theater Festival in Belgrade. The festival's main program will also include Carolina Bianchi's The Bride and Goodnight Cinderella and Antigone in the Amazon , a co-production of the Vienna Festival.
Read the speech here .
23.9. Segal Center
New York | USA
'What can and does a theater play leave behind — what impact can it have in the real world?' Starting from the artistic projects New Gospel and Orestes in Mosul Milo Rau and Yvan Sagnet, activist from Cameroon and Jesus actors in New Gospel, discuss with Segal Center Executive Director Frank Hentschker.
This event will also be livestreamed through HowlRound . (10pm European time)
19.9. ITI
Antwerp | Belgium
Together with Luanda Casella, Milo Rau will give the opening speech at the World Congress of the International Theater Institute ITI entitled How to resist .
To rewatch: Opening Speech via Facebook live
15.9. De Balie
Amsterdam | the Netherlands
Who's afraid of art? More and more far right politicians in Europe are trying to silence artists and institutions. The most recent example being Slovakia, where the directors of the Slovak National Theater and the Slovak National Gallery were suddenly dismissed by the minister of culture. The director of SND, Matej Drlička, will talk about this flagrant attack on the freedom of artistic expression and the broader political culture in which this happened. Milo Rau will report on strategies on how institutions can show solidarity in a case like this.
14.9. Dramas
Stockholm | Sweden
In the conversation Art and Resistance, Milo Rau, Mattias Andersson and others discuss how artists and activists should fight against the total capitalization of the theater on the one hand and the reduction of funds on the other. All against the background of an increasing nationalism where theater managers are dismissed on political grounds, as recently happened in, for example, Slovakia.
