Six festival days, 131 films and videos in 120 screenings (among them 39 world premieres and 15 Austrian premieres), with 100 attending directors: From the March 20 to 25 of, Diagonale Film Festival, now in its 15th edition in the Styrian capital, celebrated Austrian cinema in all its diversity. Here is an overview: The high quality of current Austrian filmmaking was reflected in the choice selection of the 2012 Diagonale. As always, the Festival functioned as a center of exchange between the...

Elfi Mikesch, born 1940 in Judenburg, Styria, but living in Berlin for many years, is one of the most multi-faceted artist personalities of today. Starting off as a painter and photographer, she slowly expanded her artistic profile by making a name for herself as an internationally sought after director and cinematographer. Already her first documentary Ich denke oft an Hawaii (I Often Think of Hawaii) was awarded the Silver Filmband in 1978. Beyond that, her cinematography unambiguously informe...

Nikolaus Geyrhalter's newest documentary Abendland will open the 2011 Diagonale in Graz as a world premiere. In Abendland, the award-winning Austrian documentary filmmaker takes a very personal journey through contemporary Europe. He predominately visits places that are without a specific history, places that are highly frequented and essential to the way we function, such as multiplex cinemas, shopping malls, airports, rest stops, hospitals, and fitness centers. The director gives us a glimpse...

The general assembly of the Austrian Film Forum, the supporting association of the Diagonale, is delighted to announce that Artistic Director Barbara Pichler’s contract has been extended for three more years, until 2014. The general assembly unanimously decided to extend the contract based on the successful direction of the Diagonale 2009 and 2010. The general assembly congratulates Barbara Pichler for designing and realizing the first two festivals as artistic director: the growing public int...

Diagonale 2010 - the Festival of Austrian Film - has opened on March 16th in Graz. From now on you can download various press material (press kit, press releases, filmstills and press photographs) here.The guest list is available here. Programme online now. This year's highlights include: + 103 films in the selected programme: a selection of Austria's current best feature, documentary, short, experimental and animated films as well as videos with lots of discoveries. + Spectrum: 8 inter...

Diagonale 2010 Opening Film Diagonale 2010 will open with Robert A. Pejo's The Cameramurderer on the 16th March at the Helmut-List-Halle. This Austrian-Swiss-Hungarian co-production is an emotionally charged psychodrama based on the eponymous bestseller by the Styrian author Thomas Glavinic. The lead roles are played by: Merab Ninidze, Dorka Gryllus, Andreas Lust and Ursina Lardi. A Tribute to Peter Schreiner in collaboration with Ö1 One of the high points of this year's festival is the t...

  Our Daily Bread Friday, November 21---------IDFA has selected Austrian documentary filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter to present the annual Top Ten program at this year's Festival. As part of the program, Geyrhalter will present a few of his own films and other documentaries that have influenced him. Among those Geyrhalter films being showcased are Pripyat (1999), which won the Diagonale Grand Prize Award at the Diagonale Film Festival, as well as the SCAM Award at...

CROSSING EUROPE: Filmic Forays Through EuropeLinz Film Festival with Tributes to Matteo Garrone and Priit PärnThe program of the new Linz film festival CROSSING EUROPE (4 – 9 May 2004) is taking shape under the direction of the former artistic director of the Diagonale Christine Dollhofer. Simultaneously with the expansion of the EU, the first edition of the annual festival invites viewers to discover less familiar film landscapes. In addition to the European Competition and the European Pano...