Austrian Film Award: Gala of Solidarity after Graz tragedy

Austrian Film Award: Gala of Solidarity after Graz tragedy

Graz, Österreich - On June 12, 2025, the Austrian film industry was waiting in the HQ7 studios in Simmering with Bated Breath for the allocation of the renowned Austrian film prizes. Moderated by Stefanie Reinsperger and Philipp Hansa, the beginning of the gala fell into a serious tone: After a tragic killing spree in Graz, a minute's silence was inserted, while a lettering with the word "Graz" and a white heart flicker over the screen. The event thus set a strong sign of solidarity and cohesion in difficult times, whereby the traditional after-show party had to be canceled on the basis of the incident, such as the reported.

The gala honored the creators: inside of films that came to the fore different realities of life. A special light was thrown on Mo Harawe's debut film "Village Next to Paradise", which won all five categories for which he was nominated. These awards included: Best feature film, best director, best script and best camera and best casting, as well as the Kurier Harawe's modest acceptance speech emphasized the teamwork behind the film and visibly moved the present.

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The prices for the best leading roles went to the impressive Birgit Minichmayr for "Sleep with a Tiger" and the celebrated Albrecht Schuch for "Pfau - am I real?", While Gerti Drassl could also take awards in the best supporting actress for "Gina" and Thomas Schubert category for "Andrea". Ruth Beckermann's “Favorites” secured the prize for the best documentary, and the audience award went to “80 Plus”, the gala organizers reported.

A shadow was the evening when Kurdwin Ayub's film "Moon" went away empty despite eight nominations. Arash T. Riahi, Co-President of the Austrian Film Academy, used the platform to clarify the participants about the difficulties that the film industry is currently experiencing due to savings announcements. He called for a dialogue with the federal government to maintain a tax incentive model and to secure the appealing growth of the industry.

A look at the current film world

A look at the numbers shows the upward of the Austrian film industry: In 2023, around 115 million euros were invested in film funding, an increase of 30.5% compared to the previous year. The funding expenditure for film production climbed to around 86.8 million euros, which is a boost for industry. 11.7 million cinema cards were sold, an increase of 16.8% compared to 2022, as the Filminstitut illustrates. The market share of Austrian films also reached the highest value since 2004.

with 440 films produced and over 350 initial speeches, the Austrian film industry is on the right track. In the end, the cinematic diversity offers space for all voices and stories that the cinema has to offer - and that was once again impressively demonstrated that evening in Simmering. The Oscars-like evening was a sign that the love of film remains strong despite all the adversities.