| Diagonale | 2026 | Recap |

The Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film took place for the 29th time in Graz from 18 to 23 March 2026, once again under the patronage of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Now in its third year under the direction of the artistic director duo Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar, the festival continued to expand as a place of encounter—including unexpected ones—of exchange, and of looking toward new horizons.

A total of 149 film productions were screened at Diagonale ’26, including 77 Austrian or world premieres. The film competition—with Austria’s highest-endowed film awards presented by international juries on March 23 once again formed the heart of the festival, featuring 82 films across feature and documentary categories, in both long and short formats, as well as Innovative Film. The Diagonale also hosted the presentation of the Franz Grabner Award, the Carl Mayer Screenplay Awards, the Thomas Pluch Screenplay Awards, the Kodak Analog Film Award, and the Kleine Zeitung Audience Award. New in 2026 was the Mabacher Award. More on the awards and juries → here

The Festival of Austrian Film opend with the Austrian premiere of Markus Schleinzer’s new feature film Rose, attended by the filmmaker and members of the team.

FILMSPECIALS AT DIAGONALE ’26:

| Position | Hlynur Pálmason |
Icelandic director and visual artist Hlynur Pálmason – most recently in Cannes with the tragicomedy The Love That Remains –came to Graz with a comprehensive retrospective of his work and offered insights into his filmmaking process in a masterclass.

| Position | Billy Roisz |
Diagonale 2026 dedicated a comprehensive retrospective, including a live performance, to filmmaker, musician and performer Billy Roisz, who has been active since the late 1990s.

| Film History | Girls Will Be Boys |
Women in Trouser Roles: SYNEMA’s film-historical special explored gender fluidity and cross-dressing in German-language cinema of the interwar period.

| Film History | New Uncertainties – Austrian Documentary Cinema in the 1990s |
A film-historical search for traces in seven programmes from 30 years ago in domestic documentary filmmaking, a time of change and new beginnings.

| And in the Middle | A Wirtshaus |
And in the Middle is a new annual film and discussion series held as part of Diagonale, dedicated to exploring places beyond urban centers.

| Special | Duisburg Film Week |
To mark its 50th anniversary, the renowned German documentary film festival came to Graz, presenting films from its history that unsettle, provoke, and challenge.

| In memoriam | Emily Artmann |
A small homage in memory of the poet, editor, and filmmaker.

| Portorož meets Graz |
A new collaboration with the Festival of Slovenian Film.

SUPPORTING PROGRAM ’26:

| Nachspann |
Cinema that goes beyond the screen for special conversations and discussions that require more time and space.

| Forum |
Festival location for discussion and debates in the Heimatsaal in the Volkskundemuseum at Paulustor.

| Film Meeting |
The festival’s industry meeting took place for the 16th time in 2026 and offered panels and discussion rounds on current topics as well as updates and news in the Diagonale Forum. The first day (March 19) was open to the public, while closed think tanks took place on the second day (March 20).

| Club Diagonale |
Again this year, there were lots of opportunities to come together for dancing and drinks!

| Extras |
Exhibitions around Austrian film as part of the Diagonale.