| Festival Directors Extended through 2029 |
| Changes to the General Assembly |

Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar renewed as Co-Directors; Paul Schwind succeeds Dagmar Streicher as Co-Chair

We are delighted to announce that Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar have had their contracts as joint Festival Directors extended through 2029 and will therefore continue to lead the Festival of Austrian Film up to and including Diagonale ’29.

“The General Assembly of the Forum österreichischer Film association has extended the contracts of Diagonale Festival Directors Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar, which were due to expire in 2027, for a further two years. Kamalzadeh and Slanar have served as artistic directors of the Festival of Austrian Film since 2023 and will now be responsible for a total of six festival editions through 2029. The stability and distinctive profile of the Diagonale, growing audience interest, its consolidation as an attractive platform for the Austrian film industry, and, not least, the positive response from both the Austrian and international press were decisive factors in the General Assembly’s decision to renew their contracts. We look forward to the upcoming festival editions and to continuing to shape the Diagonale as the annual showcase of Austrian filmmaking!”
— Co-Chairs Johannes Rosenberger and Paul Schwind, on behalf of the General Assembly

“Especially at a challenging time for Austria’s cultural sector and Austrian cinema, we are particularly grateful for this vote of confidence. We see the extension both as encouragement and as a mandate to continue strengthening the Diagonale as a place of connection: between audiences and the industry, between Austria and the world, and between the festival in Graz and the regions. We would like to thank the General Assembly for its decision, our team for their work every day, and all our supporters who make this festival possible.”
— Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar, Festival Directors

Paul Schwind was also elected as the new Co-Chair of the Forum österreichischer Film association, succeeding Dagmar Streicher, who has stepped down from the association.

“Following many years as Co-Chair of the Austrian Directors’ Association ADA and as a member of the General Assembly of Forum österreichischer Film, it is both an honour and a pleasure to have been unanimously elected Co-Chair by the association’s members. I would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank my predecessor, Dagmar Streicher, for her valuable and dedicated work. She played a significant role in guiding the Diagonale through challenging times and stepped down from the General Assembly on July 13, 2026.

I look forward to working with Dominik Kamalzadeh and Claudia Slanar, our outstanding Festival Directors, whose appointments have been renewed by the General Assembly for a further two years. I also look forward to working together with the General Assembly, my fellow Co-Chair Johannes Rosenberger, and the Festival Directors to ensure that the Diagonale continues to evolve: that even in the face of tight budgets and industry-wide cost-cutting measures, it remains a home for the Austrian film industry and for cinephiles in Austria and abroad; that it showcases and celebrates Austrian filmmaking; and that it continues to open up new perspectives on film history.”
— Paul Schwind

Diagonale would like to thank Dagmar Streicher for her many years of dedicated work and support within the Forum österreichischer Film association.