The 30th Hamburg International Short Film Festival, with its children’s section, the Mo&Friese Children’s Short Film Festival Hamburg, taking place for the 16th time, is organised by the KurzFilmAgentur Hamburg. 15,000 visitors watch 320 short films in 5 competitions, in special programmes and several age-appropriate programmes for children, selected from 6,000 submissions. The screenings take place in cinemas all over Hamburg, schools, youth centres, and open-air. Depending on the foci, 70-90 % of all films are of European origin; 23 European countries were represented in 2013. The festival is part of numerous international networks and works closely with a variety of European partner festivals.The festival gathers the most promising new filmmakers to introduce them to producers, festivals, distributors, and the non-professional audience. Professionals get the chance to discuss the latest developments in the short film sector at panels, workshops, and industry meetings. Furthermore, they have access to the festival’s extensive video-library, the Short Film Market. With all submitted festival films available digitally, it is the perfect research tool for those working in the field of film selection.The festival is also very attractive for a non-professional audience: Both the screenings for adults and children are accompanied by talks with filmmakers, so that visitors can learn more about their work. The sociable atmosphere at the festival centre calls for follow-up discussions.With its excellent reputation and distinguished selection of films, its steady year-round work towards audience building and the promotion of the short film form in Germany and worldwide – by regularly organising screenings, sending team members to film schools and partner festivals as expert panelists, and by offering film literacy initiatives for adults and children – it is one of the most important short film festivals worldwide for professional and non-professional visitors alike.