In 2025, the KHM will be celebrating its 35th anniversary.  We would like to express our joy at this - still young - age this year with a ceremony to mark the opening of the tour (on July 16) and a number of special events.

What began in 1990 with the “Audiovisual Media” degree course for 25 students has continuously developed into a much sought-after, interdisciplinary project course. It is based on a free choice and individual combination of artistic specializations. “Media Arts” can be studied in nine semesters (undergraduate, Diploma 1) or four semesters (postgraduate, Diploma 2). It is supplemented by a doctoral program (Dr. phil.). The “Media Arts” diploma (Diploma 1 or 2) is internationally equivalent to an MFA (Master of Fine Arts). Around 400 people are currently studying at the KHM, at least 40 percent of whom come from abroad. Around 75 new applicants are accepted each winter semester.

The KHM is firmly established in the canon of German art and film schools. It has remained true to its project-oriented approach for 35 years: there are no master classes, but rather interdisciplinary supervision by the teaching and supporting technical departments. This approach promotes “talents” in the various arts and media, combining art and science. This makes the KHM unique.

Every year, diploma theses and projects by KHM students receive 70 to 80 awards, including prestigious international prizes and scholarships. These successes underline the excellent reputation of the interdisciplinary degree program: KHM graduation films have won the Academy's Gold Student Oscar in Los Angeles (AMPAS) three times: 2016 “Ayny” by Ahmad Saleh (animation), 2008 “Auf der Strecke” by Reto Caffi (feature film) and 1997 “Ein einfacher Auftrag” by Raymond Boy (feature film).

Curators of the Venice Biennale regularly invite KHM graduates: Sandra Vásquez de la Horra and Yunchul Kim in 2022, Peter Miller in 2017, Rosa Barba in 2015, Glenda Léon and Kriss Salmanis in 2013, Marianna Christofides in 2011 and the artist group “knowbotic research” in 1999.

Since 2015, several graduates have been accepted into the Junge Kolleg of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts: Viktor Brim in 2023, Lea Letzel in 2019, Ale Bachlechner in 2018 and Rozbeh Asmani in 2015.

Lisa Roy's debut novel “Keine gute Geschichte” was published by Rowohlt Verlag in March 2023 and was immediately nominated for the lit. COLOGNE Debut Prize. In 2024, graduates Nieves de la Fuente Gutiérrez and Joram Schön received the Villa Aurora Scholarship for Fine Arts, endowed with 15,000 euros. Fynn Ribbeck was awarded the Peter Jacobi Scholarship of the City of Pforzheim (30,000 euros) in 2025.

Films by KHM students have won the Gold Short Film Award (Golden Lola) eleven times, most recently Sophia Groening in 2022 with “Muss ja nicht sein, dass es heute ist”. In 2024, Lucas Dülligen was awarded the Friedrich Baur Gold Prize 2024 (35,000 euros) at the 58th Hof International Film Festival with his first feature-length film “Vereinzelt Sonne”.