15 October 2020

Preview of the programme of the upcoming festival Viennale (22 Oct - 1 Nov) with focus on social political messages of film: Miss Marx, Christoph Schlingensief, Austrian Auteurs, Recycled Cinema

Viennale is Austria's most important film festival. It happens each year in autumn with a well selected programme by cineasts for cineasts. On occasion of this year's Covid-19 measures concerning the limited audience number per location, the festival which happens traditionally at five cinemas is extended by further five movie theatres. The programme is extensive and practically published as a calendar folder for the fast oversight and as a pocket guide where each film is described by a specialist with texts which are partly written so poetically that the evoked imagination may step into contest with the film itself. The German texts can be found online together with additional English introductions into the mainly as original versions screened films such as the opening movie 'Miss Marx', a biopic from 2020 about the youngest daughter of Karl Marx, especially her political work. The punk rock soundtrack is mentioned in both texts, the German and English as well.

Star of the political film, theatre, art performance world Christoph Schlingensief died 10 years ago. Viennale pays a special tribute to the director and performance artist with a series of films directed by him and the new production about Schlingensief, 'A Voice That Shook The Silence' from 2020 by director Bettina Böhler who will attend the screening.

Other specials this year are the films presented under the title 'Austrian Auteurs' (at the programme under Kinematografie) with reference to the beginning of state funding of film productions in 1980 in Austria and the freedom of film in the 70ies, and 'Recycled Cinema' (part of the category Retrospektive) with films made of found footage for setting pictures and meanings in new contexts.

Image: Poster Viennale 2020; concept & realization: © Viennale / Rainer Dempf.

Video: Trailer of this year's opening film 'Miss Marx' of the international festival 'Viennale', 22 October until 1 November 2020.