8. Vienna Shorts

VIS Vienna Independent Shorts celebrated its eighth festival edition under adverse circumstances: Around 300 short films from more than 35 countries were screened at the festival, which had been on the verge of being canceled. The short-term withdrawal of the main sponsor LG Electronics Austria and the insufficient public funding had caused a lot of unrest in the preceding weeks. However, a broad wave of support from the national and international industry as well as the new sponsor Citroën made it possible to realize the seven-day short film festival in 2011.

Focusing on the internet as a platform for short films, the festival tried to perceive it not as competition but as an opportunity and enrichment. The New Communities, which are formed via social networks and platforms online, either functioned as curators at the festival (as in the case of music video voting via facebook) or were critically scrutinized in special programs. In addition, spotlights were dedicated to the Austrian comic artist Nicolas Mahler and the British artist duo Semiconductor and Canadian artist Pierre Hébert performed live.

Behind the scenes: Barbara Schubert took over management from long-term duo Simone Weinbacher-Traun and Raimund Liebert on an interim basis for a year. The festival fixed those building blocks that would form the basic content structure in the future: Focus, Spotlights, Specials, Competitions. The interest group Forum Österreichischer Filmfestivals (FÖFF) was initiated by VIS, among others. In cooperation with the Media Opera, the popular cinema experiment Liegekino was held twice in the Rinderhalle St. Marx.

Press release 2011