| Dia | go | nale |
| on the | road |
DISCOVER AND CATCH UP ON FILM HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LAST FESTIVAL EDITION
A selected program from the past Diagonale ’26 beyond the official festival period and the borders of Graz!
The festival of Austrian film presents a selected program for film enthusiasts in 2026 outside the official festival period – and beyond the borders of Graz! Outstanding films from the last edition will make stops in cinemas and cultural venues as part of Diagonale on the road. The filmmakers will be available for talks after the screenings – a cinema experience up close!
This initiative makes it possible for audiences outside of Graz to discover Austrian filmmaking and the Diagonale! Whether award-winning feature films, in-depth documentaries or exciting short films – Diagonale on the road offers an exciting cross-section of current Austrian cinema in all its diversity!
DATES:
Pilije by Samira Fux
| July 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. | Lichtspiele Eibiswald |
In the presence of the filmmaker and the festival directors
Ferlach in Carinthia is known for the traditional craft of gunsmithing. This history has left deep marks on the small town near the Slovenian border. Where the Wehrmacht and partisans once fought, guns are still being made today, and tradition still plays a major role. A calm, watchful film that listens closely, with which the young, bilingual filmmaker explores the complex history of the Carinthian borderlands.
Short film program as part of BLOOM, in cooperation with Kunsthaus Graz
| July 16, 2026, at 9 p.m. | Leslie Open at Lesliehof, Graz |
In the presence of the filmmakers and the festival directors
A blooming short film program, including Winter Blumen Garten by Sara Piñeros Cortés, Sie puppt mit Puppen by Karin Fisslthaler, Die Kastanie by Simon Dallaserra and Iven Yorick Fenker, under the microscope by Michaela Grill and Mis amigos son los pájaros by Vitória Monteiro.
Special: And in the Middle: A Wirtshaus featuring
Der Himbeerpflücker by Erich Neuberg and 2268, früher by Gloria Gammer
| July 23, 2026, at 6 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. | Griessner Stadl, Stadl an der Mur |
In the presence of the curators of the Diagonale series, Daniela-Katrin Strobl and Michael Zeindlinger, as well as the festival directors
With And in the Middle , Diagonale launched a new film and discussion series at its most recent festival edition, dedicated to places beyond urban centres. For its inaugural edition, the focus was on a place that stands for the social fabric of rural life like few others: the inn. Whether village tavern, church inn or country guesthouse, it is both meeting place and stage — for club evenings, weddings, christenings and funerals, for the everyday and the exceptional. With Erich Neuberg’s Der Himbeerpflücker, a comedy of mistaken identity starring Helmut Qualtinger, and Gloria Gammer’s 2268, früher, a short documentary about the end of an inn in the Mühlviertel region, Diagonale presents an excerpt from the programme.
WAX & GOLD von Ruth Beckermann
| August 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. | Kino wie noch nie, Vienna |
In the presence of the filmmaker and the festival directors
In her latest documentary, Ruth Beckermann takes a hotel in Addis Ababa built by Ethiopian ruler Haile Selassie as a starting point for exploring the African country. WAX & GOLD uses conversations to ask what remains of the era of the controversial emperor, weaving this search for clues with archive material from his time and the history of colonial intervention. A personal reflection on the contradictory levels of historical truth.
Yrupé by Candela Sotos as part of BLOOM, in cooperation with Kunsthaus Graz
| August 27, 2026, at 8.30 p.m. | Leslie Open at Lesliehof, Graz |
In the presence of the filmmaker and the festival directors
For this evening, we open the borders and join Spanish director Candela Sotos on a search for her great-uncle Guillermo Zúñiga’s lost film, La Flor de Irupé. As we watch the giant aquatic plant of the Amazon grow, we follow a cinematic journey through state archives and the director’s family history, shaped by memory, exile, and political resistance.
Beautiful and Neat Room by Maria Petschnig
| September 1, 2026, at 7.45 p.m. | Summer Movies at Murinsel, Graz |
In the presence of the filmmaker and the festival directors
Things can always get worse. That is the only rule Marie can rely on in her attempts to recruit temporary flatmates for her rental apartment in Brooklyn. At 47 dollars per night, the accommodation she offers may be unbeatable by New York standards — but the kitchen leaks when it rains, and the place is so cramped that there is barely any way to avoid one another.