9. Vienna Shorts

For one time only in 2012, VIS took place in the largest single-seat cinema in the country, shortened from seven to five festival days: In cooperation with the Viennale, we brought more than 150 international short fiction and documentary films, animations and experimental works to the 120 square meter screen of the Gartenbaukino. A few days before the ninth festival edition started, we rang in the short film week with the Air Bed Cinema as our popular version of Expanded Cinema.

The focus theme Pushing the Boundaries was implemented with four programs dealing with perversion and subversion, provocation and censorship, corporeal cinema and the influence of commerce on art. In addition, a conference at the Austrian Film Museum on the 50th anniversary of the Oberhausen Manifesto, entitled “Provocation of Reality,” invited the audience to a theoretical examination of the short form and cinematic attempts at renewal. At the closing event “Night of the Light”, short films on the topic of energy were shown, which had been created for the first treatment and production competition of VIS and Wien Energie.

Behind the scenes: Benjamin Gruber took over the management from interim manging director Barbara Schubert. Under head of prints Tobias Greslehner, the festival made the switch to DCP as the main screening format (alongside 35mm and 16mm). And: VIS acted as a founding member of the Forum of Austrian Film Festivals (FÖFF), which was presented at the Viennale 2012.

Program brochure 2012

Pocket guide 2012

Video: Opening & Award ceremony 2012