The search for human connection is a striking aspect of this year's film program for director Eva Sangiorgi. Shortly before the start of the festival, she talks to Alexandra Zawia in the Viennale Podcast about her approach to presenting explicitly political films as well as about the extraordinarily interesting works of some of the female directors in the program. She also reveals a few rituals that she likes to practice shortly before or during the festival.

Lav Diaz talks to Alexandra Zawia on the Viennale Podcast.

With ATMEN by Karl Markovics, Viennese actor Thomas Schubert became famous virtually overnight in 2011. At that time still an amateur actor, he has since been able to demonstrate his extraordinary talent in both cinema and TV. For ROTER HIMMEL director Christian Petzold explicitly wanted him in the lead role, Schubert recounts in the Viennale Podcast with Alexandra Zawia. He plays Leon, a mediocre writer who is trying to finish his novel while on vacation with friends in a house by the sea. While Leon adamantly denies himself any joy, he is mentally spiraling down his own inadequacies.

Podcast in German!

In the Viennale podcast with Alexandra Zawia, Argentine filmmaker Lisandro Alonso (EUREKA) talks about his need to observe. "It's not my job to narrate more things," he says about his approach to filmmaking. Everyone already has their own narrative - and landscapes say more about people than all the words, anyway. "Am I going to die alone?" he asks himself. Who knows? He wouldn't be the only one.

Viennale director Eva Sangiorgi talks about this year's program, especially giving insight on the following topics:

Curating the Historical Programs / 50 years of Chilean Cinema [02:20]

On Raúl Ruiz [07:02]

Gala with Catherine Deneuve [11:53] 

AMADEUS Gala, Academy Award Eric Pleskow [12:25]

Effects of streaming deals on film acquisitions for festivals like the Viennale [13:08]

Berlinale developments [18:10]

Major themes in this year's feature program [20:21]

Personal recommendations from the feature's program [32:32] 

Alexandra Zawia spricht im Viennale Podcast mit Joanna Hogg über ihren Film THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER.

Alexandra Zawia spricht mit Amina Handke im Viennale Podcast.

Alexandra Zawia spricht mit Festivaldirektorin Eva Sangiorgi.

Alexandra Zawia spricht mit Denis Côté über Sexualität und Kino.

Politik und Poetik im iranischen Kino

Ehsan Khoshbakht, Direktor des Festivals Il Cinema Ritrovato, hat die Monografie zu Ebrahim Golestan kuratiert. Im Viennale Podcast spricht er über die Bedeutung dieses iranischen Regisseurs, die subversive Poetik des iranischen Kinos und seinen Glauben an die politische Kraft des schnell erzeugten Bewegtbildes, speziell angesichts revolutionärer Bewegungen weltweit. Dem Kino hingegen käme immer dringender die Bedeutung der langsamen, nicht überstürzten Analyse zu, sagt er im Gespräch mit Alexandra Zawia.