Music Beyond Boundaries ^【AUT】

Music is a paradox: it can unite as much as it divides. It has the power to shift perspectives and expand horizons, offering solace, fostering cohesion, and soothing conflicts. Music can transcend real and imaginary walls, making the incomprehensible understandable. Some even claim it can achieve anything. But is that truly the case? Where do music’s limits lie, and where does its power to overcome boundaries genuinely shine?

“Empathy over Opinion” – this powerful motto defined the Positive Futures Festival in Innsbruck in 2023. Over 40 underrepresented artists, operating far from the mainstream, graced various stages across the city. The festival’s guiding principle was clear: to encourage listening, cultivate openness, set aside preconceived notions, discover new perspectives, and foster exchange. This truly demanded an open mind towards musical genres.

Already in 2023 the festival presented an impressive and diverse tapestry of sound: Anatolian music, psychedelic pop and surf rock, dancehall, UK bass, Jamaican sound system culture, Ugandan folk music with extreme metal tendencies, traditional folk and Assouf music, accelerated reggae, experimental Celtic music, Scottish smallpipes, modern dancefloor styles, ceremonial chants from the Nile basin, genre-crossing experimental hip-hop where avant-garde meets Afro-house, as well as psychedelic avant-folk.

A film by Caroline Eiter and Wolfgang Gollmayer.