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    Berlinale Encounters with THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN

    Encounters is a newly created competitive Berlinale section devoted to innovative cinematic visions. THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN by young director Sandra Wollner – the story of a machine and the ghosts we all carry within us – is part of the very first selection presented at this year's 70th Berlinale (February 20 to March 1).

    Three major awards at the 41st Max Ophüls Prize Festival

    Best Director Award to Johanna Moder’s ONCE WERE REBELS, Audience Award to Arash T. Riahi’s WHERE NO ONE KNOWS US and Best Short Film to DAS BESTE ORCHESTER DER WELT by Henning Backhaus.  The Saarbrücken juries have pointed out three productions from Austria and Maresi Riegner as Best Young Actress Award.

    Austrian films at international festivals

    Participations November 2019 - January 2020

    Austrian films on international screens

    Theatrical releases
    October 2016 – January 2020

    BERLINALE Panorama invites new works from Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel and Lisa Weber

    The Berlinale Panorama unveils its first contributors – two of the works from Austria: Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel present their insightful and moving NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD, Lisa Weber’s daring, long time observation on teenage inertia in RUNNING ON EMPTY.

    Sundance 2020:  a direct hit into the epicenter

    EPICENTRO, the new documentary by Hubert Sauper, has been selected to be part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition by the 2020 Sundance Festival (January 23 to February 2). ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA by Anabel Rodríguez Ríos, produced by Austrian producer Sepp R. Brudermann as a co-production between Venezuela, the UK, Brazil and Austria, is also among the 12 entries of the  Sundance documentary contest.

    World premiere of WHERE NO ONE KNOWS US at MOP Saarbrücken

    Austrian filmmaker and producer Arash T. Riahi presents his new fiction film at the Max Ophüls Prize Fiction Film Competition. WHERE NO ONE KNOWS US is a bittersweet odyssey revolving around two Chechen refugee children who try to make the best of their situation, despite imminent deportation. Johanna Moder's ONCE WERE REBELS is also competing in the Fiction Film section; Anna Kirst's ARCHE NORA celebrates its world premiere in the Documentary Competition.

    Special Jury Prize to THE REMAINS – AFTER THE ODYSSEY

    The International Human Rights Film Festival in Paris awards THE REMAINS – AFTER THE ODYSSEY by Nathalie Borgers with the Special Jury Prize.

    Special Jury Award to SPACE DOGS

    The FIDOC Documentary Festival at Santiago de Chile honors SPACE DOGS by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter with a Special Jury Award pointing out that SPACE DOGS ­– is a film “that does not leave indifferent neither by its candor nor by its crudeness”.

    92nd Academy Awards: Sudabeh Mortezai’s JOY disqualified

    Two months after the submission of JOY as Austria’s entry for the International Feature Competition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences informed the Austrian selection committee that Sudabeh Mortezai’s film is ineligible because its dialogue is predominantly in English. The Austrian committee has protested.

    The New Yorker Magazine selects CHAOS by Sara Fattahi among Best Movies of 2019

    Richard Brody from the New Yorker has picked Cineasti del Presente winner CHAOS by Sara Fattahi among the most noteworthy films 2019. The list comprises 46 films in total and includes for the first time also 11 films that were not released in the US.

    IDFA 2019 with EARTH and MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    As the festival year draws to a close, the IDFA showcases two of the most successful Austrian documentaries of the year: EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Masters) and MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN by Sebastian Brameshuber (Best of Fests). The German-Austrian co-productions HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME by Thomas Heise (Masters) and BORN IN EVIN by Maryam Zaree’s (Best of Fests) are also on the Amsterdam program.

    Awards to ANGELO and LILLIAN at Ljublijana and Gijon

    ANGELO by Markus Schleinzer wins a Kingfisher Award – Special Mention at the LJUBLJANA International Film Festival, LILLIAN by Andreas Horvath bags the Youth Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the GIJÓN International Film Festival.

    Special Mentions to EARTH and SPACE DOGS

    EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter receives a Special Mention at the L’Alternativa festival in Barcelona, SPACE DOGS by Elsa Kremser & Levin Peter a Special Mention from the jury of the New Waves program for non-fiction films at the Festival de Cine Europeo in Sevilla.

    MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN wins 3sat-Doku-
    mentarfilmpreis

    A mountain in motion ... Only a few days after winning the jury's Special Prize of the Vienna Film Award at the Viennale, MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN by Sebastian Brameshuber receives the 3sat-Dokumentarfilmpreis at the 43rd Duisburger Filmwoche.

    LILLIAN: Best Film + FIPRESCI at the Minsk IFF Listapad

    Two more awards for Andreas Horvath's feature debut LILLIAN: The Quinzaine des Réalisateurs entry took the Victor Turov Memorial Award for Best Film and the FIPRESCI Award at the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad.
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    Good-bye, Gustav Deutsch

    We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gustav Deutsch who, in SHIRLEY – VISIONS OF REALITY, captivated us with his cinematic encounters with painting. The moving and the stationary image, the damaged as well as the intact and both the professional views and those of amateurs were all subject to the exploratory spirit and regard of this artist and thinker, who imparted the certainty that film is more than film.

    DOK Leipzig awards to ROBOLOVE and SAFETY123

    DOK Leipzig honors thought-provoking visions from Austrian filmmakers:  ROBOLOVE by Maria Arlamovsky receives the Gedanken Aufschluss Prize, awarded by a jury of young prisoners of the Juvenile Penitentiary Regis-Breitlingen. The Austrian-Italian co-production SAFETY123 by Julia Gutweniger and Florian Kofler wins the Golden Dove in the Next Masters Competition.

    Focus on Jessica Hausner at the Lincoln Center

    On December 6, Jessica Hausner’s LITTLE JOE will be released in the US by Magnolia Pictures. A good reason for New York’s Lincoln Center to focus on the complete works of the Viennese ”Miracle Worker“ (as the LC entitles the program), showcasing her five feature films, two shorts and an installation from November 8 to 10, 2019.

    Filmuforia: «ROBOLOVE is a frightening documentary»

    «ROBOLOVE, with its stunning images by Sebastian Arlamovsky, is a frightening documentary: do we really want our future in the hands of these technocratic scientists, who at best will replicate the contradictions of human life today?» Read more of Meredith Taylor's ROBOLOVE review on Filmuforia

    Haifa hands over a Golden Anchor to LILLIAN

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN wins the Golden Anchor Award for Best International Debut Film at the 35th HAIFA Film Festival for ... “An original, daring journey film through the declining U.S. landscape. Using minimal dialogue, the film succeeds in bringing a different, compassionate and cruel point of view of the people and places that the heroine passes through on her journey. An oustanding cinematic achievement by any measure.”

    APA World Excellence Award to Gabriele Kranzelbinder

    Gabriele Kranzelbinder has been honored with the APA World Excellence Award at the Jihlava Documentary Festival. She is the first to receive this award created by the Audiovisual Producers´ Association in the Czech Republic to honor a producer successfully supporting creative documentary filmmaking. KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Productions has (co-)produced documentaries by Hubert Sauper, Sebastian Brameshuber, Elisabeth Scharang and many more.

    WELCOME TO SODOM – Best Environmental Film

    WELCOME TO SODOM keeps on travelling around the globe. Poindimié in New Caledonia recently hosted the unsettling documentary by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes and pointed it out as Best Environmental Film of the festival program.

    THE ROYAL TRAIN and ROBOLOVE at DOK Leipzig

    Not only are they contenders in the Leipzig International Competition: THE ROYAL TRAIN by Johannes Holzhausen and ROBOLOVE by Maria Arlamovsky are two movements into opposite directions, taking us either into the past or towards the future, both of them raising fundamental questions over reality. Also premiering at DOK Leipzig is THE FEVER by Katharina Weingartner.

    Zürich awards ONCE WERE REBELS and LILLIAN

    Only a few days after its world premiere, Johanna Moder’s second feature film ONCE WERE REBELS wins the Zürich Ecumenical Award. Andreas Horvath's LILLIAN, also a contender in the Focus Compettion, returns from Zürich with a special mention.

    Political Award to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    “A film that makes you happy”, wrote the jury of the Political Award about their choice to give the prize to Sebastian Brameshuber’s MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN at the Hamburg Filmfest. The award, sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, comes with a cheque for € 5,000.

    Jessica Hausner and Sudabeh Mortezai part of the London FF juries

    The BFI LONDON Film Festival listens to two Austrian voices in the juries: Jessica Hausner will preside over the jury of First Feature Competition, giving away the Sutherland Award. Sudabeh Mortezai, winner of the Best Film Award 2018 for Joy, has been invited to join the official competition jury to decide on the most outstanding film of this year’s main competition. 

    Zürich FF 2019 with Johanna Moder's ONCE WERE REBELS

    There’s no escape to normality. Once again, Johanna Moder draws a witty portrait of her own generation, who fail to conciliate a cosmopolitan outlook with narcissistic needs. ONCE WERE REBELS has been selected for the FOCUS Competition, together with LILLIAN and SEA OF SHADOWS, two additional Austrian contenders. Marie Kreutzer (The Ground Beneath My Feet) is part of the FOCUS Competition jury

    Grand Prix to THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET at Salé Women’s FF

    Marie Kreutzer’s Golden Bear contender THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET sweeps in two major awards at the Salé Women’s Film Festival, taking home the Grand Prix and the Best Screenplay Award.

    Camden Harrell Award to EARTH

    EARTH keeps revolving successfully around the globe: The 15th Camden International FF honors Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH with the 2019 Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature "for capturing a rare and epic sense of scope and scale that demonstrates the magnitude of mankind’s imprint on the earth"

    Best Actress Award to LILLIAN

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN – Patrycja Planik – wins the Seymour Cassel Award für Best Female Performance at the Oldenburg Filmfest.

    Open City Award to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    The London Open City Festival hands its Open City Award 2019 to Sebastian Brameshuber’s Cinéma du Réel-winner MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN. About their choice, the jury said that the winning film exemplifies an assured coming together of form and content to craft an intimate portrait of a character whose daily life illuminates a global conversation about labour, movement and capitalism.

    Toronto 2019: World premiere of NOBADI by Karl Markovics

    An old man and a young refugee – they couldn’t have less in common – meet by pure chance and get inextricably tied together. In his third feature film, his darkest one to date, Karl Markovics explores the fatal connections between identity and existence. NOBADI will make its first appearance on screen at  the 44th TORONTO IFF, celebrating its world premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema section.

    With JOY into the Oscar race

    The Austrian Oscar committee has selected JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai as Austria’s submission to the Oscar-nominations in the International Feature Film category.

    LITTLE JOE and JOY in the race for EFA

    The European Film Academy has announced a list of 46 feature films eligible for European Film Awards 2019, including two outstanding works from Austrian female directors: JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai and LITTLE JOE by Jessica Hausner. Nominations will be unveiled at the Sevilla FF on November 9. The Austrian-German co-production HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME is one of the 12 selected films running for Best European Documentary 2019.

    Two awards to LILLIAN at the Orenburg East & West festival

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN, Directors’ Fortnight entry 2019, garners the Best Director Award as well as the prize from Yar (the festival’s general sponsor) for aesthetic and masterful depiction of human emotions in cinematography.

    Krakow Grand Prix to WELCOME TO SODOM

    One and a half years after its world premiere at CPH:DOX 2018, the gripping documentary by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes keeps travelling around the globe, affecting juries and audiences alike. WELCOME TO SODOM took the Grand Prix 2019 as well as  the Audience Award at the Krakow Green Film Festival.

    Best Green Dox Award to EARTH

    The DOKUFEST at the Kosovar city of Prizren honors Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH with the BEST GREEN DOX Award. „A strong philosophical statement about human nature“, points out the jury.

    Variety: «An auspicious calling card for Vollrath»

    Patrick Vollrath has delivered on his promise of his Oscar-nominated short Everything Will Be Okay with his first feature-length title "7500" – which premiered at Locarno’s  Piazza Grande: «an undeniably visceral, well-executed debut feature, wrote Allan Hunter of Screen International. REad more of the Locarno reviews

    Locarno 2019: SPACE DOGS in Cineasti del Presente

    In their directorial debut Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter joined up with a pack of stray dogs in Moscow in order to discover the city through their eyes. In remembrance of the famous dog astronaut Laika, they interweave the wild lives of their animal protagonists with impressive archive footage from the space race in the 1960s. Patrick Vollrath's 7500, a German-Austrian co-production, will screen on the Piazza Grande.

    Sheffield International Award to Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH

    «In a remarkable way, the sheer scale and ambition of this project is matched by its humility towards its subject and subjects“, stated the jury of the newly created International Award intended to honor a new international non-fiction film challenging global perspectives. EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter is the first winner of the Sheffield International Award.»

    Cannes 2019: Best Actress Award to Emily Beecham

    A red flower that makes people feel happy, a palm that makes us even more than happy!
    Emily Beecham who plays the lead character in Jessica Hausner’s LITTLE JOE wins the Best Actress award at the 72nd Cannes festival for her subtle and nuanced interpretation of Alice, a high-talented genetic engineer and loving single-mum of a 12-year-old boy.

    Best Feature Awards to L’ANIMALE and NEVRLAND

    Two Best Feature-Awards to Austrian movies on one weekend: The Mostra FIRE Barcelona has honored L'ANIMALE, by Katharina Mückstein with the FIRE!! Team Award for Best Feature Film. The TEL AVIV International LGBT Festival has picked NEVRLAND by Gregor Schmidinger as Best Narrative Feature.

    KAVIAR at Sydney's Europe! Voices of Women in Film

    Launched by the European Film Promotion in 2016 EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN IN FILM showcases ten European films by female directors at Australia’s premier international film festival. KAVIAR by Elena Tikhonova is part of this selection.

    JOY on Netflix

    JOY worldwide: As of May 24, 2019  Sudabeh Mortezai’s acclaimed second feature film JOY is available for the international audience all around the globe on Netflix . The only territories excepted are Austria and South Tyrol.

    Red carpet for a red lily: World premiere of LITTLE JOE in Cannes

    Jessica Hausner, a Cannes invitee since 1999, tops her performance at the Croisette with her first entry to the Palme d’or-competition and her first English-language film LITTLE JOE. Alice, a high-talented genetic engineer, has created a crimson flower of stunning beauty, but also inexplicable powers. A coop99 production with The Bureau (UK) and Essential Films (D) starring Emily Beecham, Ben Wishaw, Kerry Fox.

    Cannes 2019: Quinzaine des réalisateurs with LILLIAN by Andreas Horvath

    The 51st edition of the Cannes parallel section will host the world premiere of Andreas Horvath's LILLIAN, a road movie that goes straigth across the USA into the cold of Alaska.

    Cinema Planeta awards WELCOME TO SODOM

    WELCOME TO SODOM by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes is the winner of the Youth Award at the Cinema Planeta festival in the Mexican city of Cuernavaca.

    FREE LUNCH SOCIETY
    nominated for
    Cinéma Positif Award

    The Festival du Cinéma Positif, taking place during the Cannes festival for the 4th time, has selected FREE LUNCH SOCIETY by Christian Tod among the ten documentaries vying for the Cinéma Positif Award. The 2019 selection focusses on the theme of social justice, prizes will be awarded in three categories: fiction, documentary and first feature film on May 23rd.

    THE BORDER FENCE awarded in Munich and Trento

    Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s clairvoyant essay about borders, portraying residents living close to the Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy has garnered the Jury Prize at the Trento Festival and the VIKTOR DOK.deutsch Award at the DOK.fest München.

    Filmkunstfest Schwerin awards THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET

    Marie Kreutzer’s Berlinale competition entry is heading on solid grounds. THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET  garnered two awards at the 29th Filmkunstfest Schwerin: the NDR Regiepreis and the Prize for Best Young Actress to Valerie Pachner.

    Grand Prix Cinéma du réel to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    Sebastian Brameshuber's new essay is the portrait of a man and a place, observing a determined loner as he goes about his work inside and outside time. The Grand Prix of Cinéma du Réel has been unanimously attributed to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN, "...Thanks to the elegance of his mise en scène and inventive use of the off-screen dimension...

    DEMOCRACY LTD by Robert Schabus at CPH DOX

    Robert Schabus examines the question why populist politicians meet with such strong resonance in European democracies. His new film DEMOCRACY LTD celebrates its world premiere as a contender in the F:ACT Award competition and as opening film of the focus on Europe. Also screening in Copenhagen: THE BORDER FENCE by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, SEA OF SHADOWS by Richard Ladkani.

    Retrospectives RUTH BECKERMANN in Paris, Sarajevo, Bukarest ...

    The Musee d’art et d’histoire du Judaisme in Paris is hosting a Ruth Beckermann Retrospektive from April 4 to 7, opening with the most successful Austrian film at international festivals in 2018 THE WALDHEIM WALTZ.  Just recently, Ruth Beckermann was also the focus of retrospectives at the Sarajevo Winter Festival and the One World Romania festival in Bukarest.

    A GERMAN LIFE on stage in London

    A GERMAN LIFE, Brunhilde Pomsel’s compelling testimony about her youth and time as Joseph Goebbels’ secretary in the core of the Nazi power apparatus has been adapted for the stage by Christopher Hampton. The LONDON Bridge Theatre will be presenting the piece starring MAGGIE SMITH from April 6 to May 11, 2019.

    WELCOME TO SODOM wins Objectif d’or

    The documentary by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes awarded Best documentary with the Objectif d'or at the Millennium Festival in BRUSSELS: "For us the most complete film, that is nearly telling the idealistic story about life and death, survival, about ethic … dramatic circumstances happening in one amazing and extraordinary microcosm."

    Guadalajara: Premio Maguey to Valerie Pachner

    The Guadalajara Festival Internacional de Cine has awarded Valerie Pachner for her mesmerizing performance in THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET with the Premio Maguey: "Pachner's performance startled and seared like no other in the Premio Maguey this year.", stated the jury.

    Berlinale 2019: The Ecumenical Jury Prize goes to EARTH ...

    ... by Nikolaus Geyrhalter and two more distinctions to German-Austrian co-productions:  BORN IN EVIN by Maryam Zaree wins the Compass Perspective Prize, Thomas Heise’s Forum entry HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME wins the Caligari Prize. Here are the jury statements ...
     

    THE WALDHEIM WALTZ awarded in Atlanta

    The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival awards Ruth Beckermann’s THE WALDHEIM WALTZ with the
    Documentary Jury Prize. The Building Bridges Jury Prize went to Austrian-Czech-Slovak co-production THE INTERPRETER by Martin Šulik.

    Berlinale 2019: DIE KINDER DER TOTEN wins FIPRESCI prize

    Performance artists Kelly Copper & Pavol Liska (The Nature Theater of Oklahoma) impressed the Berlinale film critics who awared the FIPRESCI Prize to their first cinematic work DIE KINDER DER TOTEN, a silent and gruesome march of the undead, inspired by the overwhelming novel of Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek.

    The Guardian: «Geyrhalter proves again that he is a unique figure in world cinema.»

    „You’ve heard of climate change but this latest documentary-spectacle from Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter is about landscape change. Read more of the GUARDIAN-review on EARTH by Peter Bradshaw.

    3 nominees for the Glashütte Original-Documentary Award

    The Berlinale has announced the entries for the Glashütte Original-Documentary Award 2019.
    EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter as well as the German-Austrian co-productions BORN IN EVIN by Maryam Zaree and HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME by Thomas Heise are among the 17 contenders for the Berlinale Best Documentary Award. Last year this distinction endowed with € 50, 000 went to Ruth Beckermann’s THE WALDHEIM WALTZ.

    Berlinale 2019: Austrian films in Competition and Forum

    On top of Marie Kreutzer's Golden Bear contender THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET the Berlinale Forum hosts the world premiere of Nikolaus Geyrhalter's new film EARTH as well as the first feature film of performance artists Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska with their haunting and witty Super-8-approach to Elfriede Jelinek's major novel DIE KINDER DER TOTEN.

    Young Austrian cinema sweeps 7 awards at MOP Saarbrücken

    Each of the three Austrian contenders in the main Max Ophüls Prize competition took at least one major award: JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai the MOPs for the socially relevant film and best young actress Joy Alphonsus, NEVRLAND by Gregor Schmidinger the MOPs of the Youth Jury and for best young actor Simon Frühwirth, KAVIAR by Elena Tikhonova the MOP Audience Award.
     

    Ludwig Wüst in focus at Arsenal

    One year after the world premiere of Ludwig Wüst’s latest film Departure at the Berlinale Forum 2018, the Berlin based ARSENAL Kino dedicates a retrospective to the film- and theater director LUDWIG WÜST and his intense and idiosyncratic cinematic language from Feb 1 to 3, 2019.

    KAVIAR and NEVRLAND vying for Max Ophüls Prize

    Young Austrian cinema is represented with two world premieres of two feature debuts in the main Max Ophüls Prize Competition: the culture clash comedy KAVIAR by Elena Tikhonova and NEVRLAND by Gregor Schmidinger, a terrifying coming-of-age journey of a young man into his own self. 

    Berlinale 2019: Marie Kreutzer’s new film in Golden Bear competition

    THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET, Marie Kreutzer’s fourth feature film about two unequal sisters, starring Valerie Pachner, Pia Hierzegger and Mavie Hörbiger has been unveiled as one of the contenders of the 69th Berlinale competition.

    JOY reaches for Golden Star at Marrakech

    After Venice, London and Chicago Sudabeh Mortezai’s JOY takes again a major award: The 17th Marrakech film festival honors her second feature film with its main prize, the Etoile d’or.

    Sundance with thrilling voices from Austria

    The 35th SUNDANCE Festival (January 24 to February 3) has reveiled its program with 112 long feature films including thrilling voices from Austria: Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala present their first English language movie THE LODGE in the Midnight programm. Richard Ladkani’s SEA OF SHADOWS is part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition.

    New Yorker puts THE WALDHEIM WALTZ on its Best Movies 2018-list

    The New Yorker magazine has selected THE WALDHEIM WALTZ by Ruth Beckermann, Austria’s entry to compete for the Foreign Language Award, among the 40 best movies of the year.

    Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s THE BORDER FENCE competes at IDFA

    The Austrian film year ends with a film about frontiers – on the political agenda, in everyday life, in our minds ... Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s accurate observation THE BORDER FENCE is part of the 31st IDFA main competition. Also screening in Amsterdam: THE WALDHEIM WALTZ by Ruth Beckermann in the Masters selection and Amsterdam Human Rights Award Nominee CHAOS by Sara Fattahi in Best of Fests and Main Focus Program.

    CHAOS wins at Mar del Plata

    Sara Fattahi’s CHAOS wins the Altered States competition at the Mar del Plata Film Festival ex-aequo with the film Casanovagen by Luise Donschen.”The director left her native country but took the war with her.”, observes the jury in its particularly accurate statement.

    Tribute to Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel at GIJON

    The 56th Festival Internacional de Cine in GIJÒN (November 16 to 24) dedicates a tribute to TIZZA COVI and RAINER FRIMMEL screening MISTER UNIVERSO, THE SHINE OF DAY, LA PIVELLINA, BABOOSKA and honored the filmmakers with the Premio de Honor del Festival at the opening ceremony.

    Sevilla awards Joy for her "masterful interpretation"

    Joy Anwulika Alphonsus wins the Best Actress Award at the Sevilla film festival: „ she carries the film through her captivating, open, honest, intelligent and authentic performance. A masterful interpretation of an indomitable drama." concludes the jury. It’s award n° 6 since the Venice premiere for Sudabeh Mortezai’s JOY shortly after winning the Vienna Film Prize 2018.

    COPS reaps 4 awards at Skopje, Nantes and Braunschweig

    What a crop for COPS by Stefan Lukacs within two festival weekends: Best Screenplay at the Skopje Cinedays Festival of European film, Univerciné Jury Prize + Audience Award at the Nantes Univerciné Allemand Festival, Best Young Actress Award to Anna Suk at the Braunschweig Film Festival.

    JOY all over –
    with major awards in London and Chicago

    Sudabeh Mortezai’s second feature film, recently awarded in Venice, garners major distinctions in LONDON and CHICAGO: Best Film Award at the 62nd BFI London Film Festival ("a provocative and unique film offering a devastating portrait of human resilience in the most inhuman of environments") and Silver Hugo: Special Jury Prize at the 54th Chicago IFF

    DOK Leipzig with THE DAYS AND THE YEAR and a tribute to Ruth Beckermann

    The 61th DOK Leipzig hosts the world premiere of Othmar Schmiderer’s THE DAYS AND THE YEAR and pays tribute to Ruth Beckermann with a special program including early works  as well as the Austrian Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film – THE WALDHEIM WALTZ. Ruth Beckermann is also jury member of the Next Masters competition

    L’ANIMALE wins Zurich Focus competition

    Austrian contenders in focus at the Zurich closing ceremony:  L’ANIMALE by Katharina Mückstein took the Best Film award of the Focus Switzerland/Germany/Austria competition. WELCOME TO SODOM by Christian Krönes and Florian Weigensamer returns from the 14th Zurich film festival with a Special Mention of the Focus jury and the Ecumenical Film Award.

    ... and further more prizes to Austrian docs

    The JIHLAVA Testimony On Nature-section honors WELCOME TO SODOM as its most outstanding contribution, SAND AND BLOOD receives a Special Mention at the Romanian ASTRA Festival and UTOPIA REVISITED by Kurt Langbein wins the Grande Prémio at CINEECO Festival at Serra da Estrella.

    Busan IFF hosts ANGELO and THE TOBACCONIST

    After acclaimed American and European premieres in Toronto and San Sebastián, Markus Schleinzer's second feature film ANGELO completes a first round across the globe in no less than four weeks. The Busan IFF hosts ANGELO together with Nikolas Leytner's THE TOBACCONIST in its Flash Forward competition.

    ANGELO flies over to San Sebastián

    After a critically acclaimed world premiere at TIFF, Markus Schleinzer’s ANGELO flies over to San Sebastián to embark immediately on its European premiere within the Golden Shell competition.The first San Sebastián screening of ANGELO is scheduled for Tuesday 25. Indiewire is featuring ANGELO among seven outstanding Toronto entries highly recommended to US distributors.

    Zurich Film Festival: Four Austrians in Focus

    The Focus Switzerland/Germany/Austria competition hosts the world premiere of Eva Spreitzhofer’s humorous reaction to tendencies to redirect religion into the center of social debates – WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS? and three more of our 2018 highlights: ANGELO by Markus Schleinzer, L’ANIMALE by Katharina Mückstein and WELCOME TO SODOM by Christian Krönes and Florian Weigensamer.

    JOYful Venice Days

    Sudabeh Mortezai’s second feature JOY takes two of the major awards given away within the Giornate degli autori sidebar. JOY is the first winner of the newly launched HEARST AWARD for Best Film by a female director, and also received the EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL, that supports the theatrical release and the visibility of the winning film throughout Europe.

    WALDHEIM’S WALTZ: Austria’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film

    The Berlinale Best Documentary winner has been selected the Austrian submission for the 2019 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. WALDHEIM’S WALTZ by Ruth Beckermann is the astute revisiting of the 1986 Waldheim affair that lead to the collapse of Austria’s comforting narrative of being the first nazi victim. „Clear, impassioned, but never polemical“,  Variety

    GOODNIGHT MOMMY back to a second life.

    Four years after its world premiere at the Venice Festival 2014 the English-language remake of the pychological chiller by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala is set on tracks by US-producer Animal Kingdom and French production partner Playtime. GOODNIGHT MOMMY will be re-imagined by director Matt Sobel, the shooting is scheduled for summer 2019.

    CHAOS wins Pardo d'oro Cineasti del Presente

    „A film about feelings, not about fact“, that’s what Syrian born filmmaker Sara Fattahi wanted to convey by her second feature film CHAOS that takes us deep into the inner devastations which the war has inflicted upon her female protago-
    nists. Forceful voices of the present that the Locarno Cineasti de Presente-jury honored with a Pardo d’oro.

    Sudabeh Mortezai’s JOY to the Lido

    The Venice Festival's Giornate degli Autori section will host the world premiere of Sudabeh Mortezai's much-anticipated new film JOY – the story of a young woman from Nigeria caught in the vicious cycle of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

    MADEMOISELLE PARADIS among 49 films recommended for EFA

    The European Film Academy has released a list of 49 films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2018. On top of MADEMOISELLE PARADIS by Barbara Albert, the selection comprises also two Austrian co-productions – STYX by Wolfgang Fischer and 3 DAYS IN QUIBERON.

    World premiere of ANGELO at Toronto Platform

    Markus Schleinzer’s highly anticipated second feature film ANGELO is hosted for its world premiere at the Toronto platform competition. African-born Angelo Soliman (1721-96) and the fragments of his biography led the filmmaker into the Vienna of the Enlightenment and an examination of the longing for freedom, home and belonging.

    71st Locarno festival presents CHAOS by Sara Fattahi

    Locarno’s Cineasti del presente hosts the Vienna based Syrian filmmaker Sara Fattahi with her second feature documentary CHAOS. Tizza Covi will be one of the five jury members to select the winner of the Pardo d’oro 2018.

    ANGELO vies for Golden Shell at San Sebastián

    The San Sebastián festival has unveiled the first titles to enter its 66th main competition: ANGELO, Markus Schleinzer’s eagerly awaited second feature film, will contend for the Concha de Oro 2018 together with Claire Denis, Naomi Kawase, Simon Jaquemet, Kim Jee-Woon ...

    Special Mention to WELCOME TO SODOM at Filmfest Munich

    Christian Krönes’ and Florian Weigensamer’s alarming documentary WELCOME TO SODOM about one if the most poisonous waste dumps on the planet returns from the Filmfest Munich with a Special Mention from the One Future Prize-jury.

    Underground Spirit Award to Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel

    The Palic European Film Festival has announced Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel as the laureats of the 2018 UNDERGROUND SPIRIT AWARD assigned for exceptional work in the field of independent cinema.

    Valencia Cinema Jove honors L'ANIMALE

    Katharina Mückstein's second feature film L'ANIMALE  wins the Prix CIMA  at the Valencia Cinema Jove festival.

    Peter Brunner returns to Crystal Globe Competition

    The 53rd Karlovy Vary FF (June 29 to July 7) has unveiled its official program.
    Peter Brunner, winner of the Special Jury prize 2015, returns to the Crystal Globe Competition with TO THE NIGHT, his third feature length film and first drama filmed in English, that will celebrate its world premiere in the Czech spa town.

    SAND AND BLOOD Best documentary at Espinho

    Matthias Krepp’s  and Angelika Spangel’s directorial debut SAND AND BLOOD was selected Best feature-length documentary at the Espinho Fest  – New Directors | New Films Festival

    La Valetta awards STYX and WELCOME TO SODOM

    Wolfgang Fischer’s STYX garners two awards at La Valetta Film Festival, including the prize for Best Performance to Susanne Wolff and Best Cinematography to Benedict Neuenfels. The Best Cinematography award of the documentary competition went to Christian Kermer, DOP of WELCOME TO SODOM.

    THE GREEN LIE awarded at Cinemambiente

    “The film shows us how to be citizens and not consumers and reminds us that to effect change we must fight the battle together”, stated the jury honoring Werner Boote’s THE GREEN LIE with the Arcobaleno Social Cooperative Environment and Society Award of the Turin Cinemambiente festival.

    Fipresci Prize to LIFE GUIDANCE

    LIFE GUIDANCE by Ruth Mader, screened at the Cluj Napoca Transilvanian Film Festival
    wins the Fipresci Prize, offered by the International Federation of Film Critics for a title in the section To Be or Not to Be Politically Correct?

    Best Screenplay award to THE DARK

    Justin P. Lange's THE DARK,  co-directed and photographed by Klemens Hufnagl wa s awarded for Best Screenplay at the Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival at Porto Alegre.

    L’ANIMALE at Sydney’s Europe! Voices of Women in Film

    It’s becoming a tradition that the Sydney Film Festival in cooperation with EFP and Screen International as a media partner showcases ten remarkable films of European female directors. Katharina Mückstein’s L’ANIMALE and the German-French-Austrian co-production 3 Days in Quiberon by Emily Atef are to be discovered on the Sydney screens.

    Two awards at the Munich DOKfest

    I’M A BAD GUY by Susanne Freund is the winner of the VIKTOR DOK.deutsch, for the best German-language documentary. A film, as the jury stated, „that allows us to look into an abyss that could be our own“. The highly topical SAND AND BLOOD by Matthias Krepp & Angelika Spangel bagged the Megaherz Student Award.

    THE WALDHEIM WALTZ wins at Play Doc

    Ruth Beckermann’s Berlinale winner THE WALDHEIM WALTZ  took the main award together with Pablo Sigg’s Lamaland (part I). at the 14th PLAY DOC festival where both films had celebrated their Spanish premiere. The film sets the Waldheim affair in a bigger international political context, yet 30 years on, it is dauntingly timely”, stated the jury.

    Arsenal Kino shows complete oeuvre of RUTH BECKERMANN

    Ruth Beckermann
    The Berlin based Arsenal Kino is dedicating a retrospective to Ruth Beckermann’s complete oeuvre until april 29, 2018. Opportunities to catch up with documentaries and essays signed by Ruth Beckermann since the late 1970ies and her first and only feature film so far, THE DREAMED ONES.

    Docu/Life Award for SAND AND BLOOD

    „Great cinema is able to unfold the hidden aspects of human life, by projecting light where there are shadows,“ stated the jury at the KIEV Human Rights Documentary Film Festival where SAND AND BLOOD by Matthias Krepp and Angelika Spangel stood out in the Docu/Life competition.

    CPH:DOX with Austrians vying for Dox: and F:act Award

    The 16th CPH:DOX screens two Austrian films in their prestigious competition programs: the thought-provoking WELCOME TO SODOM by C. Krönes and F. Weigensamer celebrates its world premiere in the DOX:AWARD main competition. F. Ofner’s and E. Hausberger’s WEAPON OF CHOICE, a gloomy success story of a pistol made in Austria, is selected for F:ACT Award.

    THE WALDHEIM WALTZ at Cinéma du réel

    Ruth Beckermann’s Berlinale Best Documentary winner WALDHEIM’S WALTZ is part of the international competition of the 40th Cinema du Réel. Only two years ago, Ruth Beckermann was awarded the Prix de la Scam and a special mention at the Young Award for her previous opus The Dreamed Ones at the Paris based festival.

    THE THIRD OPTION awarded at Bergamo

    Thomas Fürhapter's  THE THIRD OPTION, a documentary critically examining our concepts of normality and disability garners the Best Documentry Prize of the Visti da Vicino-Section at the 36th Bergamo Film Meeting. The award assigned by the festival audience is to honor the independent filmmaking.

    Best Berlinale Documentary THE WALDHEIM WALTZ

    Ruth Beckermann wins the GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL – DOCUMENTARY AWARD selected out of 18 nominated films from the different Berlinale programmes, endowed with € 50,000. Wolfgang Fischer’s STYX took three awards including the EUROPA CINEMAS BERLINALE LABEL, the Prize of the ECUMENICAL JURY for the films screened at the Panorama and the HEINER CAROW Prize.

    Panorama Audience Award with Austrian runner-ups

    Austrian directors Wolfgang Fischer (STYX) and Katharina Mückstein (L’ANIMALE) came in second and third in the race for the Panorama audience trophy.

    On screen at the Berlinale 2018

    Find the screening dates of Austrian films and co-productions at the 68th Berlinale (February 15 -25, 2018)

    Austrian films at the 68th Berlinale

    Ruth Beckermann, Katharina Mückstein, Ludwig Wüst, Werner Boote and three more co-productions add up to an outstanding Austrian presence at the Berlinale 2018: Forum with THE WALDHEIM WALTZ by R. Beckermann and DEPARTURE by L. Wüst. Panorama Special with L’ANIMALE by K.Mückstein, Culinary Cinema presents W. Boote’s THE GREEN LIE.

    Mumbai top award to ARE YOU SLEEPING, BROTHER JAKOB?

    The 15th Mumbai international film festival awards Stefan Bohun’s moving essay about grief and brotherhood with the Golden Conch for best documentary film.“A wakeup call to notice the things unsaid,” stated the jury.

    COPS sets off with 4 awards

    Amazing take-off for Istvan's feature debut COPS: after its world premiere at the festival Max Ophüls Prize and immediate follow-up at the FIPA Biarritz, COPS garners  Audience Award, Best Young Actor Award for a secondary role and the award for the socially relevant film at Saarbrücken and, to top it all,  the main prize FIPA d'OR at Biarritz .

    Three Austrian films vying for Max Ophüls Prize

    The main competition line-ups of the 39th Max Ophüls Prizefestival at Saarbrücken include three Austrian world premiers:  
    • COPS by Istvan,
    • SORCERER by Sebastian Brauneis and
    • Stefan Bohun’s documentary ARE YOU SLEEPING, BROTHER JAKOB?

    L'ANIMALE by Katharina Mückstein at Berlinale PANORAMA

    The Berlinale has announed the first Austrian entry to the 68th Berlinale: L'ANIMALE premieres at Panorama.Katharina Mückstein’s second full-length feature film delves into the intermediate areas, between urban and rural life, on the verge of adulthood, at a possible turning point in the life of a normal family confronting the conflicting forces within us: passion, desire, reason.

    IDFA Amsterdam celebrates 30th edition with a double for  UNTITLED

    Michael Glawogger’s images from his last, uncompleted journey brought to a powerful and poetic essay by Monika Willi is not only part of the IDFA 2017 Masters-selection, UNTITLED is Victor Kossanovsky’s pick for the anniversary sidebar The Visual Voice. Also at IDFA: SAND AND BLOOD by Mathias Krepp and Angelika Spangel in the student documentary competition.

    3sat Doc Award for ANIMALS AND OTHER PEOPLE

    Flavio Marchetti’s directorial debut ANIMALS AND OTHER PEOPLE wins the 3sat Dokumentarfilmpreis (€ 6,000) for the best German speaking documentary at the 41st Filmwoche DUISBURG.

    COLD HELL wins Golden Monster

    Stefan Ruzowitzky’s gripping action thriller COLD HELL involving a female taxi driver with Turkish roots in a duel with a serial killer, garners the Golden Monster at the Melbourne Monster Fest.

    UNTITLED awarded Cinematic Documentary

    The 62nd Cork Film Festival honors UNTITLED by Michael Glawogger and Monika Willi with Cinematic Documentary Award.

    «...a haunting, ever-timely reminder»

    ...wrote the Los Angeles Times about A GERMAN LIFE by Christian Krönes, Olaf S. Müller, Roland Schrotthofer, Florian Weigensamer theatrically released in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Town Center 5 on November 10. This portrait of a unique witness of the 20th century is also among the 170 entries to the Oscar race for Best Documentary.

    HIDDEN RESERVES wins a Silver Skull

    The Morbido Film Fest in Mexoco City handed over a Silver Skull to Valentin Hitz, honouring HIDDEN RESERVES as the most outstanding global feature film of the festival.

    Three international premieres at Filmtage HOF

    Julian Pölsler’s new Marlen Haushofer adaptation KILLING STELLA (after The Wall in 2012, Flavio Marchetti’s documentary ANIMALS AND OTHER PEOPLE and GATEKEEPER by Lawrence Tooley and Loretta Pflaum are the three new films made in Austria celebrating their international premiere at the 51st HOFER Filmtage (October 24 to 29)

    Rome, Munich ... THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS keeps winning

    The federal association of German film directors awards Adrian Goiginger’s directorial debut with the Metropolis-Preis for best first feature, Verena Altenberger took the distiction in the Best actress category. THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS was also selected Best Film in the Alice nella città-sidebar of the Rome FEsta del cinema.

    „It is a heart-taking, crude and tough film“

    The JIHLAVA Documentary Festival grants the Silver Eye Award to SAND AND BLOOD by Matthias Krepp and Angelika Spangel. The jury stated, "The film presents a story about Iraqi and Syrian war conflicts and its refugees by using self-shot images and home videos ...

    MADEMOISELLE PARADIS takes main award at Filmkunstfest

    Barbara Albert's sensitive portrait of the remarquably talented blind pianist Maria Theresia Paradis, set in Rococo Vienna under the reign of Maria Theresia, garners the main prize at the Filmkunstfest Sachsen Anhalt.

    Special Mention to UNTITLED at Docs MX

    UNTITLED, Michael Glawogger's footage from an uncompleted journey brought to an extraordinary essay  by Monika Willi received a Special Mention by the jury of the Docs MX, the documentary film festival of MExico City.

    LIFE GUIDANCE on a flash forward move to Busan

    Ruth Mader’s unsettling dystopia is among the 37 European films participating in the Europe! Umbrella at Asia’s major festival events. LIFE GUIDANCE celebrates its Asian premiere within the Flash Forward selection that focusses on non-Asian filmmakers who stand out for their inventive apporaches to storytelling.

    MADEMOISELLE PARADIS in Toronto and San Sebastián

    After the world premiere in TORONTO (Platform competition), Barbara Albert’s 5th feature film will head to SAN SEBASTIÁN as a contender of the Golden Shell competition. MADEMOISELLE PARADIS takes us to Rococo Vienna and the remarkably talented blind pianist Maria Theresia Paradis who is torn between her extraordinary musical talent and her desire to to live the life of an ordinary young woman within the rules of a rigid society.
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