Press release, 3 May 2022

First glimpse into the program of the international short film festival which returns to cinemas from May 25 to 30—Multiple live events and a new open-air location—Program release on May 17, tickets from May 18.

The 19th edition of international short film festival Vienna Shorts presents around 360 films from 70 countries. After two largely digital years, this year’s focus lies on analog cinema, which is also referred to in this year’s trailer by director Thelyia Petraki (GR). Under the motto We’ve Come A Long Long Way Together, the trailer will be released today and will be shown in cinemas across Austria in the coming days. Last year’s winner Petraki will also have a residency in Vienna, as will the Ukrainian cultural artists Olha Raiter and Olena Syrbu.

For the first time, the festival program is divided into three segments: Around 130 films can be experienced exclusively in theaters between May 25 and 30, while another 130 films have been curated exclusively for the festival’s film portal. In addition, the 94 competition films can be seen first in theaters and—after the awards ceremony on May 30—online. The Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, the METRO Kinokulturhaus, the Austrian Film Museum and the Gartenbaukino will act as festival cinemas. The streaming portal will be available until June 30.

The complete festival program will be released on May 17, and tickets will be available from May 18. Festival passes will be available for cinema (25 euros), online (10 euros) and in combination (30 euros).

94 films in four competitions

At the heart of the festival are the four competitions, for which 94 films from 34 countries were selected from more than 5,000 submissions. The nominees compete for almost 25,000 euros in prize money as well as qualifications for the Academy Awards and the European Film Awards, among others. Twelve experts from the cultural sector have been recruited as jurors, including experimental filmmaker Virgil Widrich (AT), director Jyoti Mistry (ZA) and Berlinale curator Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck (DE).

In the international Fiction & Documentary competition, 29 films from 25 countries are nominated, with half of the 34 directors being women and a majority of the filmmakers being represented at Vienna Shorts for the first time. The Animation Avantgarde competition features 26 experimental and/or animated works from 14 countries, including by well-known (festival) names such as Réka Bucsi (HU), Nikita Diakur (DE) and Sophie Koko Gate (UK).

The 21 films in the Austrian Competition include everything from colorful experiments to “long” short fiction films, including new works by Christiana Perschon, Anna Vasof, Alexander Gratzer and Jan Soldat. Videos for HVOB, Klangkarussell, Attwenger and Ja, Panik, among others, are competing for the Austrian Music Video Award, which is being presented for the 10th time this year.

Beyond the screen: concert & performances at METRO Kinokulturhaus

The 10th edition of the Austrian Music Video Award (MUVI) will be celebrated on Friday (May 27) with a big music video gala at METRO Kinokulturhaus, hosted by FM4. The highlight will be the live concert by ANTHEA. With her debut EP XEA, the Viennese musician has delivered an artistic statement that you rarely get to hear from newcomers. Before ANTHEA captivates the audience with her sophisticated mix of hyperpop, eurodance and melancholic electropop, two of her music videos are shown in the competition. The concert will be followed by the awards ceremony.

In the spirit of Expanded Cinema, Vienna Shorts also goes beyond the screen on Saturday (May 28) with live audiovisual performances by Daniel Lercher and Monza Blitz. In Lisa 3, Daniel Lercher works with the projection of a digital oscilloscope, through which so-called Lissajous figures and other visualizations of the sound level are displayed. The Viennese band Monza Blitz, in turn, provides the sound aesthetic for Fragile Flowers, a live projection of Super8 footage that is gradually decomposed by mold spores.

Late-night genre cinema and new open-air location

Following the end of Vienna’s pandemic curfew, the popular Late Night slots move from the digital space back into the dark cinema. On three late nights starting at 11 p.m. at Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, iconic international music videos (Into The Groove, May 26), high-energy dance films (Dancing Screen, May 27) and feverish thrillers (Nightmares, May 28) are on the agenda.

Also a fixture for the festival audience is the Très Chic program, peppered with “trashy” short films. For the first time, the program will be shown open air on Friday (May 27) at Wild im West, a new cultural urban oasis with concerts, food trucks and a screen in an empty space at Mariahilfer Strasse 166-168 in the 15th district.

The day before (May 26), another film program will be shown at Wild im West: Ukraine. In Joy and Sorrow was curated by Artist in Residence Olha Raiter, the artistic director and co-founder of the Lviv Short Film Festival, one of Ukraine’s most important film events. Olena Syrbu, researcher, programmer and cultural manager from Kyiv, will also create a short film program for the festival during her residency in May—her focus: displacement and migration.