Editor

Record at the VIENNALE 05 - 86,200 visitors on twelve festival days
On today's final festival day, the VIENNALE 2005 has come to a happy and successful conclusion. The festival had a total number of 86,200 visitors, thus scoring an increase of 4,600 visitors in comparison to last year's event. (Visitors 2004: 81.600).

With fewer films than in last year's program, but more second and partly third screenings, as well as with Künstlerhauskino as additional festival venue, the VIENNALE succeeded to meet increasing public demands and make access to films easier.
129 out of a total of 305 screenings were sold out. The total capacity rose - despite the increased offer – from 76,80 % in 2004 to 77,60 % at the VIENNALE 2005. The ratio of purchased tickets to complementary tickets was 84 % to 16 %, roughly corresponding with last year's figures.
The great and far-reaching openness and curiosity of Viennese cinema-goers was proven by the exceptional interest in such extreme cinematic forms as the ten-and-a-half-hour Filipino film Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino (The Evolution of a Filipino Family) by Lav Diaz, as well as the lively and exciting discussions following the screenings of individual films and lasting until the early morning hours. As in previous years, the VIENNALE gave special attention to documentary cinema and experimental cinematic forms. Among the numerous sold-out screenings it was not only well-known, big names that arose interest, but also a series of true surprises such as Between the Lines, Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani?, Following Jean, Is it really so strange? Der irrationale Rest or Un Couple Parfait. The same was true for the numerous supporting events, which continued and complemented the film program, starting with a concert by Jane Birkin in Volkstheater and concluding with a poetry reading by Gerard Malanga accompanied by musician Christian Fennesz at the festival meeting place, the VIENNALE Zentrale in Urania theater.
Among the Special Programs and Tributes of the VIENNALE 2005 the Tribute to Jane Birkin and the program Buenos Aires Dreams Itself were the most successful - each with nearly 70 % of capacity filled. In addition two film series, realized in collaboration with Film Archiv Austria - Proletarisches Kino (Proletarian Cinema in Austria) and ORF 3 -met with great response.
A fixture of the VIENNALE is the annual retrospective, presented in collaboration with the Österreichische Filmmuseum. This year it was dedicated to Andy Warhol (open till October 31). Despite a highly demanding program, a number of unusually long films and unusual presentation styles, the retrospective at Film Museum drew more than 3,000 visitors.
As in previous years, the VIENNALE succeeded to land a hit with the presentation of several premieres and international first screenings, including No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (Martin Scorsese), Sir! No Sir! (David Zeiger), Alian (Wei Xueqi), Babooska (Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel), Yuen ling-yuk (Stanley Kwan), Black Dragon Canyon, (Jay Keitel), Frammenti elettrici n. 4-5. Asia-Africa (Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi) oder Jo Siffert: Live Fast - Die Young (Men Lareida).