SEARCH
    All
    you can
    watch

    Virtually, we are in Berlin: EFM online
    March 1 to 5, 2021

    The BERLINALE Industry Event 2021 gathers film professionals around the world online and opens its virtual European Film Market. 
    Eight Austrian films are booked on EFM screens:  AUSTRIA2AUSTRALIA by Andreas Buciuman, Dominik Bochis |DAVOS by Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann |  FOX IN A HOLE by Arman T. Riahi | GLORY TO THE QUEEN by Tatia Skhirtladze, Anna Khazaradze |  PLEASE HOLD THE LINE by Pavel Cuzuioc | RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS by Michael Kreihsl | THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH by Elke Groen | WHY NOT YOU by Evi Romen

    Screenings@EFM 2021

    The Industry Event of the 71st Berlinale is taking place from March 1 to 5, 2021. Eight Austrian films are available in the virtual cinemas of the European Film Market: AUSTRIA2AUSTRALIA · DAVOS · FOX IN A HOLE · GLORY TO THE QUEEN · PLEASE HOLD THE LINE · RISKS AND SIDE EFFECTS · THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH · WHY NOT YOU
    See screening dates

    Austrian films at international festivals

    Participations November 2020 - February 2021

    Austrian films on international screens

    Theatrical releases
    October 2016 – December 2020

    Festival Calendar + Corona Update 2021

    Festivals online, postponed, or cancelled? We're keeping you posted

    THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN awarded at the Boston Sci-Fi FF

    One year after its Berlinale world premiere, Sandra Wollner's THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN is still successfully travelling around the world: THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN won the Festival Director Award at the Annual Boston Sci-Fi Festival.

    QUO VADIS AIDA? on Oscar shortlist

    The Oscar race enters its second round: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has published the shortlist of nine categories including Best International Feature Film. QUO VADIS AIDA? by Jasmila Žbanić is one of the 15 films vying for a nomination (announced on March 15). QUO VADIS AIDA? was co-produced by coop99 filmproduction. On top of the financial support, Austrian artists provided a major creative input with Christine A. Maier (DoP), Hannes Salat (production design), Michaela Payer (make-up/hair designer), Thomas Hollaus (gaffer), Edita Malovcic in the role of Vesna and many more.

    ALL YOU CAN WATCH
    at your service

    ALL YOU CAN WATCH is a digital hub set to provide access to the movies we represent in cinemas, at festivals and to watch at home.
    ALL YOU CAN WATCH is a unique research tool that will help you find out about festival favourites, discoveries and award winners, whether they play on the big or the smaller screens.

    ALL YOU CAN WATCH is served. So do yourself a favour and dig in!

    FOX IN A HOLE wins three awards at MOP Saarbrücken

    Arman T. Riahi triumphs at the 42nd Max Ophüls Prize Festival, reaping three major awards for his second fiction feature FOX IN A HOLE:
    • MOP for Best Director
    • MOP for Best Screenplay and the
    • Prize of the Youth Jury
    We were angry. We were annoyed. We were happy. Cold, expressive images make us empathize, stated the Youth Jury.

    42nd Max-Ophüls-Prize festival launches online edition

    From January 17 to 24 the 42nd Max-Ophüls Prize Festival puts the spotlight on young German language cinema. Daniel Hoesl and Julia Niemann’s documentary DAVOS and Arman T. Riahi’s fiction feature FOX IN A HOLE will be vying for the Max Ophüls Prize in the respective competition sections. Luna Jordan as Samira in FOX IN A HOLE is nominated for the Best Acting Talent Award.

    Šumadija Audience Award to RUNNING ON EMPTY

    The last festival award of the year 2020 garnered by an Austrian film production went to Lisa Weber’s documentary RUNNING ON EMPTY. Her acclaimed second feature film won the Audience Award at the Šumadija International Film Festival in Serbia.

    IDFA 2020 with Masters and Best of Fests from Austria

    The prestigious Amsterdam documentary platform has conceived an online/on-site festival for its 33rd edition from Nov 18 to Dec 6. The IDFA Masters and Best of Fests selections include Hubert Sauper’s EPICENTRO, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel’s Berlinale award winner NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD and Pavel Cuzuioc’s PLEASE HOLD THE LINE; two co-productions will also be on the festival screens: ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA and LOVE, IT WAS NOT.

    LILLIAN: Best Film at the 38th Uruguay IFF

    “Lillian’s journey is a silent road movie that captivates by its striking beauty and reminds us of the migratory nature of the human being”, stated the jury that selected Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN as the Best Film of  the 38th Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay.

    Gijón awards NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD

    Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel's black-&white journey into the Vienna's gangster milieu of the late 1960s won the Special Jury Award of the Albar Competition at the GIJÓN International Film Festival.

    SPACE DOGS wins at the IsReal and the Zagreb Subversive Festival

    The IsReal – Festival di Cinema del Reale at the Italian town of Nuoro honors Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter’s feature debut  with its First Prize, highlighting the “the courage, originality and intelligence interwoven in the work of the directors”. On top of that, SPACE DOGS took the Wild Dreamer Award for the best documentary at the Zagreb Subversive Festival.

    Special Distinction to THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN

    The 20th New Horizons festival at Wroclaw honors Sandra Wollner’s main competition entry THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN with a Special Distinction.

    OSKAR & LILLI: Best Feature Film at the Olympia Film Festival

    The Greek IFF for Children and Young People awards Arash T. Riahi's moving feature about two young refugees in Vienna searching to reconnect with their mother with its main prize. This is the tenth international distinction for Arash T. Riahi’s feature since its world premiere at the MOP Festival Saarbrücken earlier this year.

    Festival L’Europe autour de L’Europe: two main prizes to films from Austria

    The Paris-based festival L’EUROPE AUTOUR DE L’EUROPE awarded two of its three main prizes to films from Austria:  The Prix Sauvage to DIE KINDER DER TOTEN by Kelly Copper and Pavol Liška, the Prix Présent to WELCOME TO SODOM by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes

    Double prize to OSKAR & LILLI at Zagreb KinoKino festival

    Unanimous consent among the younger and the older audience of the KinoKino Festival in Zagreb: OSKAR & LILLI by Arash T. Riahi wins the Audience Award as well as the Children Jury Award. So far, the film has garnered no fewer than eight international awards.

    Duisburger Filmwoche honors Lisa Weber with Young Talent Award

    Lisa Weber, director of the Berlinale Panorma entry RUNNING ON EMPTY garners the Carte Blanche – Young Talent Award of the State NRW, that comes with a prize money of € 5,000 and the possibility of developing the next project with the mentorship of an experienced filmmaker. The film impressively succeeds in depicting the statics of social dynamics, pointed out the Duisburger Filmwoche jury intending to encourage the filmmaker to continue on the path she’s taken.

    Audience Award to GLORY OF THE QUEEN

    Tatia Skhirtladze and Anna Khazaradze’s documentary about four legendary female chess players from Georgia who revolutionized women’s chess across the globe is the Audience Award winner of the  Free Zone Film Festival – Slobodna Zona that took place at Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš (November 5 to 10, 2020).

    Filem’On Teen Screen Award to OSKAR & LILI

    The TEEN SCREEN AWARD of the Brussels Filem’On IFF for Young Audiences went to Arash T. Riahi’s OSKAR & LILLI. The young jury accounts for its choice: "The best film had the best camera work and the choice of actors made the film experience very real. The movie portrayed themes like deportation and foster families beautifully. Even though it touched upon heavy themes it still had it’ pleasant moments. It was a close call with another movie but we still choose this one."

    THE FEVER by Katharina Weingartner awarded Best Film at the BIFED IFF

    "THE FEVER portrays with craftmanship and excellent filmmaking skills a pressing and relevant issue that affects and kills hundreds of thousand women and men and children every year ..., stated the jury of the Fethi Kayaalp Grand Awardassigned to film director Katharina Weingartner at the BIFED International Film Festival for Ecological Documentary on the Turkish island of Bozcaada. Read full the statement

    World premiere of FOX IN A HOLE by Arman T. Riahi at the Warsaw FF

    Inspired by an outstanding teacher in a Viennese prison, Arman T. Riahi developed FOX IN A HOLE, the story of adolescents who have come into conflict with the law, a system that locks them up in order to make them better citizens and two idealists committed to open up doors into their future. FOX IN A HOLE is starring Aleksandar Petrović, Maria Hofstätter, Luna Jordan, Sibel Kekilli, and Andreas Lust.

    THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN is the Cinema Extraordinaire-winner at Bergen

    “A thought-provoking and controversial sci-fi fable from a new Austrian talent”, noted the jury. THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN, Sandra Wollner’s directorial debut, launched at the Berlinale Encounters, earlier this year is the winner of the Cinema Extraordinaire competition at the Bergen International Film Festival.

    Evi Romen’s WHY NOT YOU is one of the Zurich Golden Eye Award winners 2020

    Evi Romen’s directorial debut WHY NOT YOU wins the Golden Eye Award of the Focus Competition of the 16th ZURICH Film Festival."With its variety of themes WHY NOT YOU takes a risk that the main actor Thomas Prenn knows how to master at every point.”, stated the jury. A Special Mention went to the documentary WOOD by Monica Lazurean-Gorgan, Michaela Kirst and Ebba Sinzinger.

    SAFETY123 awarded Best Culture&Nature Film

    The Echo Mountain Film Festival in Skopje honors Safety 123 by Julia Gutweniger and Florian Kofler as the Best Culture&Nature film of their 11th festival edition. “In the film, we can see how enormous efforts are made by environments related to increasing safety in the mountains. We get to know the details and a lot of effort in a very efficiently made film.”, stated the jury.

    World premiere of
    WHY NOT YOU
    by Evi Romen
    at the Zurich FF

    An old village in the Alps is the setting for this first time feature – the story of a young man, Mario, who seems completely out of place. Long time editor and writer, Evi Romen, is presenting her directorial debut at the Fokus Competition of the Zurich Film Festival. WHY NOT YOU produced by AMOUR FOU Vienna is starring Thomas Prenn, Noah Saavedra, Josef Mohamed, Ursula Scribano-Ofner.

    Two Best Film awards to LILLIAN

    Andreas Horvath’s "de-accelerated" road-movie is still on the road, garnering Best Feature Awards: LILLIAN won the Best Narrative Feature award at the Dumbo Film Festival in NYC and the Rand Award at the Kassel Randfilmfestival.

    DAVOS: Best Documentary at the Dolomitale

    Daniel Hoesl’s and Julia Niemann’s view on a small town in the Swiss Alps wins the Best Documentary Award in a small town if the Italian Alps. The Dolomitale Film Festival at Val Gardena (September 22 to 27) pointed out DAVOS as the outstanding documentary film of the festival. “Davos becomes a metaphor for our world today”, stated the jury.

    THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN wins First Step Award

    Sandra Wollner’s directorial debut, produced by Panama Film wins the FIRST STEP AWARD for Best Feature Length Film. “The director has succeeded in creating a very unique, unsettling, but also sensitive film, which inevitably confronts us with the great questions of human existence”, stated the jury.

    Special Mention to PLEASE HOLD THE LINE at the Astra FF

    Pavel Cuzuioc’s journey through four Eastern European countries reflecting on the human need for connection received a Special Mention in the competition for Best Film at the Astra film festival. The jury statement on PLEASE HOLD THE LINE, “This anthropological journey through a region presents a diverse snapshot of current society – one where like-minded habits and interests juxtapose with the devaluation of human communication.”

    QUO VADIS, AÏDA? by Jasmila Žbanić at Venice and Toronto

    Jasmila Žbanić’ new film sets off for two major destinations: After competing for the Golden Lion at the 77th Venice Film Festival (September 2 to 12),  QUO VADIS, AÏDA?, coproduced by Austrian coop99 filmproduktion, will cross the Atlantic heading to its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 10 to 19). QUO VADIS, AÏDA? is part of the Contemporary World Cinema selection alonside five other films.

    SAFETY123 wins Silver Gentian

    DOK Leipzig winner SAFETY123, the feature debut by Julia Gutweniger und Florian Kofler
    was awarded the Silver Gentian for the best artistical contribution at the TRENTO Film Festival. The prize comes with a cheque for € 1,500.

    LOCARNO 2020 with contributions linked to the future and past of the festival

    The 73rd Locarno FF (August 5 to 15), designed to “gather films and viewers in the great digital Piazza and in local theaters” has included two Austrian contributions to its 2020 hybrid festival program: Mo Harawe’s short LIFE ON THE HORN as a contender in the international Pardi di domani competition, Michael Haneke’s THE SEVENTH CONTINENT as a landmark in the Journey through the Festival’s History selection.

    OSKAR & LILLI awarded at the Taormina Film Festival

    Arash T. Riahi's moving and tender story about two young refugees trying to cope with their harsh reality, has won the Premio Ciak Scuola awarded by the students' jury of the Taormina Film Festival. In total, this makes the fourth award at the fourth festival presence since the world premiere of OSKAR & LILLI at the MOP Saarbrücken.

    International Migration FF awards OSKAR & LILLI actors with Special Jury Award

    Leopold Pallua und Rosa Zant, the two first-time actors in Arash T. Riahi’s OSKAR & LILLI playing two young refugees searching to reconnect with their mother win the SPECIAL JURY AWARD of the International Migration Film Festival in ANKARA  “Their poignantly moving performances are the highlight of the film”, stated the jury presided by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

    Virtually, we are at Cannes:
    Marché du Film Online
    June 22 to 26

    The film world is meeting at Cannes again: From June 22 to 26, the Marché du Film Online is giving access to film professionals around the world. AFC – Austrian Films has opened its online booth, presenting new projects from Austria in search of world sales agents, distributors and festival curators.

    Visit our digital booth!

    Sudabeh Mortezai’s MACONDO is the ARTEKINO film of the month

    MACONDO, Sudabeh Mortezai’s first fiction film, is the ARTEKINO choice of this month.The 2014 Golden Bear nominee can be streamed for free throughout the whole month of July.

    PLEASE HOLD THE LINE premieres at Sheffield Doc/Fest

    PLEASE HOLD THE LINE by Pavel Cuzuioc celebrates its world premiere at the online edition of the SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST June 10 – July 10. Pavel Cuzuioc’s second feature documentary is an audiovisual allegory on communication reflecting that despite our countless tools for communication we still inhabit a modern day Tower of Babel.

    WEIYENA – THE LONG MARCH HOME wins Viktor DOK.deutsch Award

    "Moving, heart-rending, terrifying, but – in the final analysis – life-affirming", stated the jury of the Viktor DOK.deutsch Award of the DOK.fest Munich about Weina Zhao’s and Judith Benedikt’s feature debut WEIYENA – THE LONG MARCH HOME. The award comes with a prize money of € 5,000.

    DOK.fest MUNICH with two new films from Austria

    After CPH:DOX and Visions du Réel also DOKfest Munich is gathering its audience online:  The DOK.fest Munich @home edition 2020 includes the world premieres of WEIYANA – THE LONG MARCH HOME by Weina Zhao and Judith Benedikt and WIRED FOR MUSIC – INSIDE THE WIENER SYMPHONIKER by Iva Svarcová and Malte Ludin. The TV documentary VIRGINIA by Sascha Köllnreitner premieres as DOK.special Servus TV.

    DAVOS by Daniel Hoesl at Visions du Réel Nyon

    In reaction to the current restrictions related to the coronavirus, the Swiss documentary festival is following the example of  CPH:DOX  and will be hosting artists, films, audience and professionals online. Austrian filmmaker Daniel Hoesl “returns” to Switzerland with his essay DAVOS, a portrait of the famous resort which is renowned for its annual get-together of the rich and the powerful but proves to be quite different from what one might expect.

    BORN IN EVIN wins LOLA 2020 for Best Documentary

    The German-Austrian co-production BORN IN EVIN, co-produced by Golden Girls Film has won the LOLA 2020 in the Best Documentary category. There was even one more Austrian co-production among the three nominees: HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME by Thomas Heise, co-produced by  Navigator Film.

    Austrians on the CPH program

    F:ACT Award:
    WOOD by Monica Lazurean-Gorgan, Michaela Kirst, Ebba Sinzinger (world premiere)
    Main Competition:
    EPICENTRO by Hubert Sauper (European premiere)
    Science Films:
    ROBOLOVE by Maria Arlamovsky
    SPACE DOGS by Elsa Kremser & Levin Peter

    Blissful Encounters in Berlin

    Special Jury Award from the Berlinale Encounters jury for her Sandra Wollner’s THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN.
    Special Mention to BERLINALE DOCUMENTARY AWARD nominee NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel
    Teddy Award for Best Documentary to Austrian director Patric Chiha for his French production SI C'ÉTAIT DE L'AMOUR.

    NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD «… reconciles the underworld to the world above with the pure pleasure of cinema.»

    NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel – one of the 21 nominees for Best Berlinale Documentary –  was awarded a Special Mention in this first-rate documentary contest. We’ve got the wonderful statement of the jury: This film is a beautifully shot portrait of characters with intense and at times, hilarious stories of old bad boys. The burst into colors and songs reconciles the underworld to the world above with the pure pleasure of cinema.

    The Hollywood Reporter on THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN: A Berlin Hidden Gem

    “Sandra Wollner's drama about a 10-year-old android and her "Daddy" could prove to be one of the festival's most divisive”, wrote Alex Writman of The Hollywood Reporter. Find more reviews on Sandra Wollner’s second feature film, presented at the newly created Berlinale competitive section Encounters.

    Austrian world premieres at the 70th Berlinale

    We’re proud to present two Berlinale Documentary Award nominees and a second feature film in Encounters.
    Our world premieres:
    Sun 23 | Panorama: NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel
    Tue 25 | Encounters: THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN by Sandra Wollner
    Tue 25 | Panorama: RUNNING ON EMPTY by Lisa Weber

    NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD and RUNNING ON EMPTY nominated for Berlinale Documentary Award

    Both Berlinale documentary entries made in Austria – NOTES FROM THE UNDERWORLD by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel and RUNNING ON EMPTY by Lisa Weber – are among the 21 documentaries selected across all sections for the prestigious Berlinale distinction. The two Austrian PANORAMA contributions will be vying for the € 40,000 prize money along with new works from Rithy Panh or Jia Zhang-Ke.

    The Hollywood Reporter on EPICENTRO: «As aromatic as a cohiba cigar.»

    «(…) a film that weaves together vérité footage with voiceover philosophizing from Sauper himself and clips from an assortment of archive footage. In another filmmaker's hands, this might have become a message-heavy morass, but Sauper and his co-editor, veteran Yves Deschamps work the material with a remarkable fluidity and gracefulness that's consistently engaging and surprising», wrote Leslie Felperin on EPICENTRO, Hubert Sauper’s tender portrait of Cuba and winner of the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Prize.

    Sundance celebrates EPICENTRO

    Hubert Sauper, Austria's most adventurous and unpredictable documentarist and essayist, received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for best Documentary at this year's Sundance festival for his film EPICENTRO.

    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.

    Berlinale Encounters with THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN

    Encounters is a newly created competitve Berlinale section devoted to innovative cinematic visions. THE TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN by young director Sandra Wallner – 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, 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. OSKAR & LILLI 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.

    CONTACT

    AFC – Austrian Films
    Stiftgasse 6
    1070 Vienna, Austria
    Google maps

    tel.: +43 1 526 33 23
    fax: +43 1 526 68 01

    IMPRINT

    PRIVACY POLICY

    Find us on



     

    Member of