Diagonale 2026 with a retrospective of Billy Roisz's work and a trailer by Michael Gülzow
We are pleased to announce that the Diagonale. Festival of Austrian Film will dedicate a “Position” to filmmaker, musician, and performer Billy Roisz at its upcoming edition (March 18 to 23, 2026). Artist Michael Gülzow, whose mockumentary The Blind Spot of Perception won this year's Diagonale Prize in the Innovative Film category, will design the festival trailer.
Billy Roisz © Diagonale/ Lisbeth Kovačič
"Out of Sight" in Opus Bonum competition at Jihlava IDFF
Lisa Polster's award-winning documentary Out of Sight will be screened at the 29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in the main competition “Opus Bonum.” The renowned festival, which takes place from October 24 to November 2, 2025, will also show works by Josephine Ahnelt, Kurt Kren, Peter Kubelka, Viktoria Schmid, and Ernst Schmidt Jr. in a special program "Fascinations: Food", as well as Billy Roisz's latest festival hit The Garden of Electric Delights. We are very excited about this diverse selection!
Film Still: Out of Sight
Punk, Glitch, Traces: Austrian Experimental Cinema at Her Docs Film Festival
We are delighted to be involved the following special program as part of the Her Docs Film Festival in Warsaw:
Punk, Glitch, Traces: Austrian Experimental Cinema brings together four programs of short films from six decades, as well as the feature-length Canale Grande by Friederike Pezold (Pezoldo) from 1983. The spectrum ranges from analog experimental film to abstract digital “audiovisions,” including films by feminist icons as well as female* directors of younger generations. The contributions range from anarchic performances, documentary sketches, and queer gems to animations and found footage.
Films/videos by: Kurdwin Ayub, Miriam Bajtala, Moucle Blackout, Adina Camhy, Linda Christanell, Katrina Daschner, Carola Dertnig, VALIE EXPORT, Eve Heller, Karø Goldt, Michaela Grill, Friedl vom Gröller, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Claudia Larcher, Maria Lassnig, Sabine Marte, Mara Mattuschka, Lydia Nsiah, Astrid Ofner, Christiana Perschon, Friederike Pezold (Pezoldo), Sasha Pirker & Lotte Schreiber, Lisl Ponger, Ursula Pürrer & Ashley Hans Scheirl, Ella Raidel, Michaela Schwentner, Anna Spanlang & KLITCLIQUE, Nana Swiczinsky, Kathrin Resetarits, Billy Roisz, Anna Vasof.
Her Docs, the festival for feminist non-fiction film, takes place September 17-21, 2025, at the Kinoteka in Warsaw.
filmstill: Canale Grande (Pezoldo)
31st SarajevoFF Documentary Award goes to "Our Time Will Come"
Ivette Löcker's latest documentary, Our Time Will Come, has just been awarded the prize for best documentary film at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival: "The 'Heart of Sarajevo' award for best documentary feature goes to a film that combines the beauty and the challenges of creating togetherness, with the generosity and rigour of making films in the intimacy of lives being lived. It is a film that builds a cinematic time and space for the complexities of love and the politics of coexistence, valuing the richness that each person may bring to our common spaces." (Jury Statement)
Jury:
Blake Levin
Cíntia Gil
Veton Nurkollari
Our heartfelt congrats to Ivette and the film team!
Outstanding Artist Award for Experimental Film 2025 goes to Sasha Pirker
This year's BMWKMS', the Austrian Ministry for Culture's, Outstanding Artist Award in the Experimental Film category goes to Sasha Pirker. We quote from the jury's statement: "For over two decades, Sasha Pirker has been working at the intersection of (feminist) film, art and architectural history. High formal concentration and conceptual clarity are essential characteristics of her work. The artist combines feminist perspectives with subtle irony and negotiates spaces whose social structures are reflected in a clever and multi-layered way. Humor functions as a precise means of irritation. For Pirker, architecture is not only an object, but also a carrier of stories, attitudes and atmospheres - readable as a mirror and framework of human experience, which she subtly brings together in her films with a subtle sense of tempo, rhythm and visual composition."
We warmly congratulate Sasha - and we recommend you keep an eye out for her latest work Everyone deserves a Slice of the Pie at festivals this summer/fall.
"Bleifrei 95": World Premier at Locarno Film Festival 2025 and more good festival news
Bleifrei 95, the short film debut by Emma Hütt and Tina Muffler, has been invited to the competition of the Pardi di Domani section at Locarno Film Festival, where it will celebrate its world premiere on August 7. (Photo: Poster/ Detail "Bleifrei 95")
Ivette Löcker's latest documentary Our Time Will Come will soon be shown in competition at 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.
Henry Fonda for President by Alexander Horwath and Some Memories by Lotte Schreiber can both be seen in the program of the renowned Dokufest Prizren.
Melbourne International Film Festival is showing She Dolls with Dollies by Karin Fisslthaler and Revolving Rounds by Johann Lurf and Christina Jauernik.
The Garden of Electric Delight by Billy Roisz, Beautiful Dead Woman by Jan Soldat and Karin Fisslthaler's She Dolls with Dollies were selected for the 36th edition of the Brazilian Festival Internacional de Curtas de São Paulo.
THE LIFE OF SEAN DELEAR awarded at Ethnocineca
The Austrian Documentary Award 2025 of this year's Ethnocineca, Vienna's international documentary film festival, went this year to Markus Zizenbacher for his energetic portrait The Life of Sean DeLear. Congratulations !
CROSSING EUROPE Award – Local Artist 2025 for "A Life in Color"
We are extremely happy to share the news that Axel Stasny's documentary feature A Life in Color has received the Local Artist Award at this year's Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz.
The Jury Statement reads as follows: "This film impressed us with its affectionate and precise approach to its protagonist. Using great documentary caution and delicately playing with closeness, distance, and the unsaid, it approaches Eleanor, who shares her compulsion to live and love with disarming openness. ,Perfection escapes me,' she sighs – and yet, she always remains connected to an idea of what perfection could mean to her. It is an aside where Eleanor boils down the power of this film: ,You want to show how it really is. Fantastic! I, too, want to be how I really am.' The compassionately used soundtrack harmoniously underscores Eleanor’s personality and is still echoing within us even days later."
Our heartfelt congrats to Axel – and to all award-winning filmmakers of this year's festival!
Photo © Ines Mayer / subtext.at
Festivalnews: From Jeonju to Oberhausen and Annecy …
We are delighted to announce a selection of fantastic festival premieres and invitations for current sixpackfilm titles:
Jeonju International Film Festival, South Korea
Sugarland (Isabella Brunäcker), Revolving Rounds (Christina Jauernik/Johann Lurf), Mare Imbrium (Siegfried A. Fruhauf)
Int. Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Germany
Jelena (Friedl vom Gröller), Simultaneously Naked (Ursula Pürrer/Ashley Hans Scheirl), Some Memories (Lotte Schreiber), I Saw You Were Dancing (Sarah Pech), Distributors' Collection by sixpackfilm "If it doesn't fit" (Short film program)
Annecy Int. Animation Film Festival, France
Stampfer Dreams (Thomas Renoldner), The Prologue (Marzie Emadi/Sina Saadat)
DOK.fest Munich, Germany
A Life in Color (Axel Stasny), È A QUESTO PUNTO CHE NASCE IL BISOGNO DI FARE STORIA (Constanze Ruhm)
SIFF – Seattle Int. Film Festival, USA
On the high seas. Part 1: The burgeoning decision to go on a journey willy-nillya (Ralf-Joachim Petersen), She Dolls With Dollies (Karin Fisslthaler)
tbc…
Two Awards at 63rd Ann Arbor Film Festival
We are very happy to announce that short film animation Tako Tsubo (photo) by Eva Pedroza and Fanny Sorgo has won Prix DeVarti for Funniest Film at this year's Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Furthermore, Lukas Marxt and Vanja Smiljanić received a Jury Award for experimental doc AMONG THE PALMS THE BOMB, or: Looking for reflections in the toxic field of plenty - jury note: "It’s a good idea not to blow people up with nuclear bombs."
Heartfelt congrats to all the filmmakers!
