The Diagonale is a film festival that takes place every March in Graz, Austria. The festival was initially held under the auspices of the Austrian Film Commission in Salzburg from 1993 to 1995 but moved to Graz in 1998. Traditional cinema venues are UCI Kinowelt Annenhof, Schubertkino, KIZ RoyalKino and the Film Center Rechbauerkino. At the end of the festival, the Austrian Film Awards are awarded. The festival of Austrian film has consolidated its position as a regionally based festival for film buffs that brings the industry and audience together, strengthens Austrian film, and attracts international attention. Under Sebastian Höglinger’s and Peter Schernhuber’s directorship, the Diagonale relies on a balance of stability and new impulses alongside intensified cooperations with local initiatives and partners. Emanating from the Diagonale festival district around the Kunsthaus Graz and against the backdrop of the Styrian capital, the Diagonale is a site of concentrated film viewing, informal meeting, and creative and film industry as well as cultural discourse, and buoyant, exuberant celebration. International guests from the film branch and press appreciate the Diagonale and its extensive and representative offerings just as much as the audience does. At the center of the complex program is the film competition. With an exciting mix of established and new names, it is the festival‘s centerpiece. The film competition offers the chance to make unexpected discoveries and obtain a picture of the diversity and vibrancy of today’s domestic film landscape. The Spotlight on series reflects on Austrian film and cinema culture by tracing the biography of a specific person within the industry. The In Reference series takes a proverbial look beyond the end of its nose, revealing interconnections between the domestic film landscape and world cinema – reacting, interacting, and commenting. The series aims to stimulate dialogue and reveal correspondences. This is also the aim of the discussion series Diagonale im Dialog, whereby illustrious guests from the film branch are invited to comprehensive talks at the festival cinemas. Complementing the film program is the historical special, offering Diagonale audiences the rare opportunity to watch suitably screened works from the domestic film archives – in 2019, the series initiated by Michelle Koch and Alexandra Zawia will be devoted to projections of femininity in Austrian film. The extensive accompanying program of mediation and discourse underscores the festival’s potential: In an unusual setting, the Diagonale and the initiative Cinema Next promote trans-generational dialogue at the so-called Breakfast Club. The Diagonale Film Meeting, for its part, is a branch conference on the hot subjects and themes in cultural and film politics.
Awards
The festivals offers the Austrian Film Awards in various categories totalling over € 120,000.-.
