Queer Film Festival “Power to the People”

The film festival is an event organized by the Queer Cultural Foundation in Germany, and this year for the fifth time it aims to bring the diversity of queer cinema closer to home. 25 distinct heterogeneous feature films and documentaries (21 in Vienna) will be screened in 16 cinemas and 12 cities. This includes highlights from Venice and Toronto, and from Sundance and the Berlinale. It also complements the cinema program with online retrospectives and spotlights.

Power to the people

The Vienna Film Festival opens on Thursday at 6:30 pm with the French film “Orlando, my political biography” by trans activist Paul Preciado. The film is based on Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando, now considered a major queer text. In this political biopic, the director traces his own transformation and lets 25 trans and nonbinary people between the ages of 8 and 70 have their say.

This year’s festival slogan, “Power to the People,” also comes from the film. This military demand is reminiscent of New York queen and activist Marsha Johnson, one of the central figures in the Stonewall riots in the summer of 1969.

Immediately afterwards, at 8:30 pm on the first day of the festival, the film “Blue Jean” by British director Georgia Oakley, winner of four British Independent Film Awards, will be screened.

French opening film “Stop Lying”

The actual opening film “Stop Lying” by French director Olivier Bion can only be seen in Vienna on the second day of the festival (7pm). The reason for this is that the director travels from the Berlin opening to Vienna to be available for audience discussion. This lesbian love story tells the story of an author who returns to his homeland after decades and remembers his first great love when he was 17 years old.

Austrian film crew visits Votiv Cinema

The program also shows the Austrian coming-of-age film “Breaking the Ice” by director Clara Stern. The film’s cast members are expected to be guests at the screening on September 10 at 7:15 pm at Votiv Cinema. On Wednesday, September 13, Austrian director David Wagner will be a guest at Votive Cinema after the screening of his film “Esmear.”

In addition, director Fok Longulof Klotz’s “Mutt” from the USA and Welby Eng’s romantic boxer drama “Punch” from New Zealand can be seen in Vienna. Other cinematic works of art include the survival drama “The Cave” by Czech director Roman Nessis, Jason Karma’s basketball love story “Golden Delicious” from Canada, and the body study “Horse Game” by Argentine director Marco Berger.

The schedule is also complemented by a two-part online highlight commemorating British director Ron Beck, who died last year. Tickets can be purchased either online or at participating cinemas.