63rd Viennale: Opening at the Vienna Gartenbaukino

"Cinema forces us to pause," Viennale director Eva Sangiorgi describes cinema as an opportunity to pause in our fast-paced world. "For me, cinema today is an antidote - to the tendencies of simplification of the time." Vienna's cultural councilor Veronica Kaup-Hasler looks forward to the Viennale time and appreciates the diversity and density of the program that the film festival offers.

63rd Viennale: Prominent Female Directors in the Lineup

The Viennale this year features prominent names, not least from female directors, such as Kristen Stewart's directorial debut "Chronology of Water," the dystopian production "Alpha" by Cannes winner Julia Ducournau, or the German foreign Oscar candidate "In die Sonne schauen" by Mascha Schilinski. The French superstar Juliette Binoche is expected in person in Vienna, where she will present her directorial debut "In-I In Motion." In it, Binoche documents the creation of the performance "In-I," developed by her together with star choreographer Akram Khan.

Men at the 63rd Viennale in Double Feature

But a few male cinema greats also won't miss the appearance in Vienna. Stage director Kirill Serebrennikov presents his old Nazi biopic "The Disappearance of Josef Mengele," while Willem Dafoe will be seen in Gastón Solnicki's "The Souffleur," which takes place just at the Vienna Intercontinental - the festival headquarters. Richard Linklater is represented with a double feature - "Blue Moon" and "Nouvelle Vague" - which also applies to Romanian Berlinale winner Radu Jude, whose "Dracula" and "Continental '25" are in the program. And Austrian filmmaking is once again making a loud statement. Othmar Schmiderer presents "Elements of(f) Balance," Markus Heltschl his artist biography "Lois Weinberger - Ruderal Society," and the duo Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, recently honored in Locarno, their work "White Snail." Not least, Nikolaus Geyrhalter brings his new visual epic "Melt" about snow to its world premiere.

63rd Viennale: Discussion on "Israel/Palestine"

In addition to climate change, the Viennale also addresses another global hotspot with the Gaza conflict. Avi Mograbi's occupation study "The First 54 Years. An Abbreviated Manual For Military Occupation" from 2021 will be shown again. Afterwards, there will be a conversation between Mograbi and Ruth Beckermann titled "Israel/Palestine." A major retrospective on Jean Epstein at the Film Museum, a tribute to Angela Summereder at the Film Archive, a cinematography on Hungarian avant-garde director János Xantus, or the documentary essays of the artist duo Massimo D'Anolfi and Martina Parenti then round off the colorful Viennale arc.

(APA/Red)

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