Diagonale celebrates 10th anniversary in Graz

by Bénédicte Prot

19/03/2007 - The 10th Diagonale Austrian Film Festival (March 19-25) opens this evening in Graz with the screening of 42plus.

The Dor Film production by Sabine Derflinger is the story of Christine (Claudia Michelsen) who, despite her successful life as a professional, mother, wife and talented lover, is still not quite happy. To take stock of her life, she goes on holidays to Italy where she meets the young Tamaz (Jacob Matschenz) – and finds happiness.

Also starring Ulrich Tukur and Tobias Moretti, the film is being distributed by Filmladen.

Other features in the programme include Marco Kalantari and Nina Munk’s sci-fi film Ainoa [trailer], Peter Koller’s off-the-wall satire On Evil Grounds [trailer], Barbara Albert's Fallen [trailer], Antonin Svoboda’s second film Forever Never Anywhere [trailer], Stefan Ruzowitzky's Berlin title The Counterfeiters [trailer] (see news), Iain Dilthey's Prisoners, Angelina Maccarone's Unveiled [trailer], Andreas Prochaska's hit horror Dead in 3 Days [trailer], Danielle Proskar children's film Karo and God Himself [trailer] (see Making of), Michael Glawogger's Slumming [trailer] and Hans Steinbichler's Austrian-German co-production Winter Journey [trailer].

The festival also features impressive documentaries, including Elisabeth Scharang's Meine liebe Republik (lit. “My Dear Republic”); Shadowing the Third Man, which follows the traces of Carol Reed’s classic in Vienna, filmed by Frederick Baker; and Sophie Fiennes' Austrian/UK co-production The Pervert's Guide to Cinema.

Diagonale will also pay tribute to experimental film, shorts and films by young directors. Retrospectives, discussions and other parallel events will round off the festival. These conform to the founding idea of the festival, which sees cinema as a creative platform through which to understand the world around us and is brought to life by the discussions that films stimulate.

Awards worth a total €120,000 (the highest sum ever given by Austria) will be presented at the end of the festival.

This year, the festival will also be one day longer than previous editions.

(Translated from French)