Viennale 2009 wraps and announces its awards

Coming to an end with today's screening of the closing film A Serious Man (by the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen), the Viennale can once again boast a successful outcome.

With a total of 94,800 Viennale-goers, the 2009 festival has again scored a considerable increase in the number of visitors.

The festival's attendance figures rose from 76.80% in 2008 to 79.60% at the Viennale 2009.

While the number of film showings more or less remained the same with a total of 345 screenings, the number of sold-out screenings rose to 124. This means that more than a third of the screenings was sold out.

The annual Retrospective, realized in collaboration with the Filmmuseum, was a big success again this year. About 6,000 viewers saw the films of the program The Unquiet American - Transgressive Comedies from the U.S., curated byJonathan Rosenbaum

"For me this year's Viennale was one of the most beautiful and successful editions to date," says Viennale director Hans Hurch. "I therefore consider it as encouragement and the task of the festival to continue taking an individual, and at times obstinate, path with all necessary changes in the years to come."

VIENNALE 2009 PRIZE WINNERS

VIENNA FILM PRIZE

Feature Film

Lourdes, Jessica Hausner, A/F2009

Documentary

Cooking History, Péter  Kerekes, A/SK/CZ  2009

VIENNALE STANDARD READERS' JURY PRIZE

Darbareye Elly, Asghar  Farhadi, Iran  2009

FIPRESCI-PRIZE (International film critics' prize)

Xiao Li Zi (Survival Song), YU  Guangyi, China  2008