Shining stars at glorious festival
The 45th edition of the Viennale (October 19-31) came to a close on Halloween with a few lucky winners and very positive results overall.
The Vienna Film Prize, an award created in 1991 for selected Austrian features, was awarded to Rule of Law by Susanne Brandstätter. The five members of the jury found this "plea for justice and against violence, as well as for tolerance towards the opposing party (...) thrilling from beginning to end".
Gundula Daxecker’s Almfilm was accorded a special mention.
The Der Standard Readers’ Award – an important prize given that distribution has been guaranteed to all its winners in recent years – went to German documentary Rubljovka: Road To Bliss by Irene Langemann. The jury of readers described it as an original, subtle and entertaining jewel of a film.
The FIPRESCI Award, decided by a jury that included French critic Michel Ciment, went to American title Shotgun Stories by Jeff Nichols.
The festival itself was rewarded by the enthusiasm of its spectators, as audience figures were higher than ever this year: 91,700, compared with 88,900 visitors in 2006. This translated into a rise in attendance, from 78.40% last year to 79.20% (84.3% for feature films and 76.7% for documentaries).
Moreover, 126 of the 321 screenings on the programme were sold out.
(Translated from French)
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