From the 14th to the 20th of March 2005 , Graz will once again become the film capital of Austria.  During one week from Monday to Sunday, DIAGONALE guests can watch films, participate in discussions, and enjoy special events celebrating the filmmakers and their work.

This festival in Graz in March is the highlight of the DIAGONALE year.

The DIAGONALE is the festival of Austrian film. Every year it offers an exhibition of films and made-for-TV movies of the previous production year, as well as a survey of current filmmaking.  At the core of the DIAGONALE is its selected program, put together by a program commission from submitted material consisting of films and videos of every genre and length: short, avant-garde and animation films, as well as evening-long documentary work and feature films.

In the Festival cinemas (Royal English Cinema, Schubertkino, augartenkino kiz and the Filmzentrum im Rechbauerkino) the entire bandwidth of Austrian filmmaking will be presented on five screens for six filmdays and filmnights.

At numerous special programs with historic cinematic rarities and international films (in part, premiering in Austria), Austrian film will be positioned in an international context in varied connection with other artistic domains and socially-relevant themes.

Alongside the film program, audience talks, podium discussions, exhibitions and other presentations will ensure for a eventful festival and for a lively exchange of opinion between thee public and the many guests from inside Austria and out. Palais Thienfeld, our festival center, will provide a pivotal point for communication throughout the festival.

During the Festival the most substantial Austrian film prizes (worth over 110,000 Euro) will be awarded to Austrian filmmakers:

The Big DIAGONALE Prize (€ 25,000) for the best Austrian cinema film of the year, the DIAGONALE Prize for Innovative Cinema (€ 9,000) for the best animated, experimental, or short film/video, the DIAGONALE Prize of the Youth Jury (€ 4,000) for the best up-and-coming film of the year, the DIAGONALE Prize of the Graz-Seckau Diocese (€ 4,000) for the best Austrian Documentary or Short Fiction Film (which is not included in the Big DIAGONALE Prize). In addition, during the DIAGONALE the Innovative Production Prize, the AAC-Prize 2005 for best camerawork, the Carl Mayer Screenplay Prize, the Thomas Pluch Screenplay Prize, the Erich Neuberg Prize and the Förderungs- and Würdigungs Prizes of the BKA-Kunstsektion will be awarded.

The DIAGONALE 2005 will be celebrated in Graz from March 14th through the 20th, produced for the first time under the joint direction of Birgit Flos (Program), Robert Buchschwenter (Production) and Georg Tillner (Finance). The program commission responsible for selecting and assembling this year’s selected program consists of Robert Buchschwenter, Birgit Flos, Araba Johnston-Arthur, Hans Christian Leitich and Andrea Pollach.