22. Vienna Shorts

Under the motto Move Closer! Radical Intimacy, the 22nd edition of VIENNA SHORTS focused on intimacy as a political space, and on relationships and solidarity as acts of resistance.

With the newly introduced Pay What You Can ticketing system, the festival made access easier for everyone—regardless of age, background, origin, or income.

More than 370 films were featured in the 22nd edition, about one-third of them competing for nearly €30,000 in prize money, as well as qualification for the Oscars®, the European Film Awards, and the Austrian Film Awards. For the third time, the winners received freshly planted tree trophies.

In connection with the anniversary year Johann Strauss 2025 Wien, the special competition Danube So Blue was launched. From 200 submissions, 9 modern cinematic interpretations inspired by the Blue Danube Waltz were selected and presented during a gala evening.

The MuseumsQuartier once again served as the central hub of the festival, with Raum D as the festival center and daily meeting point for accredited participants and industry guests. The Milieukino—a truck converted into a cinema by Max Kaufmann—and the open-air screen in the main courtyard focused on a shared daily theme. With mumok kino, located right in the MuseumsQuartier, a new festival partner was added. The ASIFAkeil in Electric Avenue once again hosted an exhibition, and the Talent Days for European film students took place for the second time at the Film Academy.

A special highlight was a documentary guest program curated by The New York Times, presented on the MQ Summer Stage and accompanied by a public discussion featuring, among others, New York Times editor Alexandra Garcia and curator/film historian/filmmaker Alexander Horwath.

This year’s featured artist portraits honored Kurdwin Ayub (AT) and Christopher Harris (US). The festival also showcased the rediscovered and restored works of 1970s documentary duo Rhody Streeter and Tony Ganz (US).

In addition, there were Current Comments for politically engaged audiences, Late Night screenings for genre fans—this time with a Sing Along feature—alongside audiovisual live performances and a broad program for children and young people.

With this edition, longtime artistic director Daniel Hadenius-Ebner stepped down at the end of the season after 22 years with the festival and 15 years at its helm, passing the torch to film scholar Max Bergmann.

Showreel 2025