| Diagonale | Juries 2026 |

As part of the Diagonale, Austria’s most highly endowed film awards will be awarded by international juries at the upcoming 2026 edition, thereby honouring the many achievements associated with the production of a film. Here we will gradually introduce the jury members for the upcoming festival edition.

JURY ACTING AWARDS

Ute Baumhackl (Chief Reporter Culture and Society, Kleine Zeitung, AT)
Born in Graz in 1968, grew up in southern Styria. Studied various foreign languages (Arabic, English, Russian). Editor at the Kleine Zeitung since 2005, 2013 – 2023 Head of Culture & Media, since 2024 Chief Reporter Culture & Society.

Roland Koch (Actor & Director, AT/CH)
Born in Uezwil (Switzerland), Roland Koch studied psychology, philosophy and ethnology, graduated from the Zurich Drama School and performed at major theatres in Germany. Since 1999, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Burgtheater in Vienna, with guest performances in Basel and Munich. He has often worked with director Andreas Kriegenburg, has been nominated several times for the Nestroy Prize and won the theatre award for ‘Best Supporting Role’ in 2015. In addition to his theatre engagements, he has appeared in film and television, given guest lectures and taught acting, including at the Max Reinhardt Seminar.

Christian Konrad (Head of Film Department, ORF, AT)
Studied classical guitar at the Academy of Music in Vienna.After completing his studies, he started at ORF as a holiday trainee in the ‘Kunststücke’ programme, later switched to culture and finally ended up in the film department.He has been the head of the film department at ORF since October 2010.

Sona MacDonald (Actress & Singer, AT)
Sona MacDonald has worked with directors such as Peter Zadek, Peter Stein, Steven Berkoff and Matthias Hartmann and has performed at venues including the Burgtheater in Vienna, the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Volksoper and the Kammerspiele der Josefstadt. At the same time, she developed an international singing career with leading roles in musicals, concerts and CD recordings. She has been awarded the O. E. Hasse Prize, the Kurt Meisel Prize and the Nestroy Prize, among others, for her achievements. In 2014, Sona MacDonald was awarded the professional title of Kammerschauspielerin (chamber actress) by the Federal Chancellery.

Alexandra Makarová (Director, AT)
Born in Košice, Slovakia, in 1985, Alexandra Makarová moved to Vienna after the fall of the Iron Curtain and studied screenwriting and directing at film college. With Zerschlag mein Herz (2018), a drama about Slovakian Roma begging in Vienna, she directed her first feature film. Her second feature film, Perla, won the Audience Award at Diagonale ’25 as well as the Diagonale Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.