There’s something about an independent film. It’s not one of these block buster films with a standard recipe of hero-villain-car chase and blow something up or heaven forbid the ever-so-predictable-so-bland-they-gave-it-its-own-genre-romcom. Independent films are often a passion project of an untried director wanting to convey a vision and say something with his arthouse film. For the film goer, just as often as not, these films are a bust where we often leave the theatre scratching our heads wondering how we lost two hours watching that train wreck. However, we endure those frogs in search of that prince of a film that we connect with and cherish each moment while in front of the big screen as we munch on our popcorn. Once a year, those of us who appreciate this artform descend upon Europe’s most glamorous city, Vienna, for fourteen days of the celebration of film at the Viennale International Film Festival.

Of course, there is a copious sprinkling of international released mega films as well, but this festival has been created for the forlorn film purist. Independent film fanatics everywhere flock to experience high quality cinematography, glamourous galas and rub shoulders with some of the industry’s top celebrities and creators.

Viennale 2020 will be hitting the screens of Austria this Autumn, from Thursday 22nd October until Wednesday 4th November 2020. Viennale’s primary location is within the cinemas of the Historic Centre of Vienna, a majestic building with architectural elements of the castles of Baroque and the 19th Century Ringstrasse.

Running successfully since 1960, Viennale certainly has its finger on the pulse for the film industry’s top talent. It is said to have proudly hosted over 93,000 guests travelling both locally and from all over the world, each to get a glimpse of Austria’s most iconic film festival. Over the course of the two weeks, guests can choose from a selection of 300 shorter or longer films to explore and enjoy. They are also gifted with a programme of the festival’s events. There is so much going on that a programme is absolutely essential. Some smaller filmmakers get the chance to achieve their big break as some movies are premiered at the festival.

Not only are the films shown at Viennale of the highest quality, they happen to be independent films from local and international locations. Some origins of the films shown include Buenos Aires in Argentina and Cannes in France. Furthermore, the films are said to be relevant to the current political climate, as well as uniquely unconventional when compared to today’s mainstream cinema. Viennale ensures to cover various genres of film to satisfy the different tastes of the guests, arguably making it the ultimate large-scale movie marathon of the year.

Along with the multiple film screenings, other events happening at Viennale include swanky galas, special movie screenings and interviews where fans get to hear from their favorite stars. There is also the opportunity for guests to fully immerse themselves in the experience, as they are invited to express their views on the films during audience discussions. With all of this happening, Viennale will most definitely feel like a glitzy Red-Carpet extravaganza.

To get an even better idea of its appeal as a film festival, the Viennale in 2018 attracted special guest Tilda Swinton, an Oscar-winning British actress with multiple huge successes in the film industry. Swinton was among 170 actors and directors presenting their films that year, with the total increasing to 180 the following year at Viennale 2019. An abundance of international media companies covered the festival in 2018, only some of which being the US company Filmmaker Magazine, Positif from France and De filmkrant from the Netherlands.

The Viennale in 2019 also attracted directors from across Europe. Award-winning French director Pierre Creton was one of the featured directors, as well as Portuguese filmmaker Sílvia das Fadas. If one is looking to meet and mingle with esteemed members of the film industry, Viennale is the perfect place to do just that.
The Viennale Festival also collaborates annually with the Austrian Film Museum, a museum dedicated to the preserving and archiving of films. In collaboration, the two companies produce a retrospective highlighting key elements of the history of film. As a result, the retrospective has been held in high regard and is seen as a true global phenomenon. The retrospective is definitely an event to be on the lookout for during the festival, as coming across work of such nature appears to be a rare occurrence.

At the end of Viennale, the hard work of directors and actors is seen to pay off as a number of awards are presented. One of the awards, the Vienna Film Award, is presented on behalf of the City of Vienna’s cultural department. The winner of the award is said to receive money as part of the prize, as well as other gifts courtesy of Viennale’s sponsors. Another award, known as The Standard Reader’s Jury Award, is an Austrian award for individuals with a smaller following. It is presented by an Austrian newspaper called DER STANDARD. The winner gets to present their work across Austrian cinemas and market it in DER STANDARD itself. Perhaps one of the most exciting awards presented at the festival is the Erste Bank ExtraValue-Film Award. This prize is awarded to the overall winning film of the festival, which comes with a trip to New York for two months. Even better, the winner’s work is showcased in New York during this two-month period.

A cultural getaway in the heart of one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, the Viennale International Film Festival 2020 will be the number one destination for film lovers, filmmakers and curious minds. With so many things to look forward to, this highly sought-after event will not be one to disappoint.