Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

---

Deutsch: youtube.com/live/J4f27UaQvv4?feature=share

Welcoming Address
Matthias Pees [Director of the Berliner Festspiele]

Introduction
Lavinia Frey [Festival Director ilb]

Greetings
Wolfram Weimer [Minister of State for Culture and the Media]

Opening Speech »BREATHING IN UNISON«
Cristina Rivera Garza, Curator in Residence

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Cristina Rivera Garza opens the 25th ilb with a promise: : »In addition to conveying stories, writing connects body to body through concrete detail. We breathe in unison as we read. A festival is, in this sense, a gust of fresh air—what we need the most in these asphyxiating times.«

Musical performance by Susie Ibarra

This event was held in German and English with simultaneous interpretation by Milena Adam.

Our Website: literaturfestival.com
Our Instagram-Account: instagram.com/ilb_festival