The Diagonal 2020 is pleased to also present in 2020 the most important Austrian film awards – in the first place the Diagonal Grand Prix of Land Styria for the Best Feature Film and the Best Film Documentary of the festival, each of which amounts to 21.000 euro, and the Diagonal Innovative Cinema Prize of the city of Graz. After the festival canceled due to Covid-19, the jury's visions took place online.
The canceled edition film awards were announced Tuesday 30 June, all 19.30, with a direct streaming on social media channels and subsequently on the festival website. An ad personam delivery of the prizes is scheduled for autumn 2020. Already on the occasion of this award ceremony, the Award for excellent production results in the field of cinema was awarded, donated by VAM – Collecting society for audiovisual media, and the prize for the Documentary Short Film of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau.
In addition to the main prizes, international juries also awarded prizes donated by VdFS – Verwertungsgesellschaft der Filmschaffende for the excellent results obtained in the field of acting, of photography, of the assembly, of the scenography, the costumes and the sound editor.
Named Best Feature Film at the Austrian Diagonal 2020, the film noir by Sandra Wollner The Trouble With Being Born it's fantastic in many ways. “Swinging between memory and projection into the future, this film is a testament to the breadth and topicality of cinema. With poetic images and sounds, plus a good choice of actors, creates an atmosphere of torment in which all the elements work well together”, noted the jury of the Diagonale2020 – composta da Ruth Beckermann (director, AT), Greg of Cuir Jr. (curator, author, US/RS) e Inge de Leeuw (programmer of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, NL) – who awarded several prizes to The Trouble With Being Born. So, in addition to the Diagonal Grand Prix, Wollner's magic-poetic android narrative was also awarded prizes in the categories of Best Editing and Best Sound Editing, together with the Diagonal Prize for Best Leading Actor to Dominik Warta and the Thomas Pluch Prize for the screenplay (Special Jury Prize). Already in 2014 Sandra Wollner received the Award for Best Film at the Diagonal for Emerging We're fine (co-directed with Britta Schoening and Michaela Taschek). The Diagonal Grand Prix of Land Styria is therefore the second prize for her in the direction category at the Austrian Film Festival. The Trouble With Being Born tells the story of the android Elli and a man she calls dad. They let it drift during the summer, they swim in the pool during the day and in the evening he takes her to bed with him. She makes him happy, that's why it's there. The feature has established itself internationally and has already received recognition in the new section Encounters al Berlin International Film Festival.
The Diagonal Grand Prix for Best Documentary for Cinema goes to Johanna Dohnal – Visionary of Feminism at Sabine Derflinger. With exceptional verve and inimitable precision, the director approaches the former Secretary of State for the protection of women. “But far from getting stuck in the past, the film grows from the present […]. A film about a woman, directed by a woman and delivered to the men and women of today. A jewel for all eyes”, said the jury of documentary cinema – formed by Matthias Dell (movie critic, FROM), Serafin Spitzer (cameraman, AT) e Fabienne Moris (coordinator of the FIDMarseille program, director of FIDLab, FR) – on the impressive and multifaceted portrait of Sabine Derflinger, which is based on archival material and countless interviews with the companions and spiritual heirs of Johanna Dohnal. Equally with Little Joe, Johanna Dohnal – Visionary of Feminism has already been awarded in late May by VAM – Verwertungsgesellschaft für Audiovisuelle Medien for the extraordinary results obtained in the production sector.
The Diagonal Innovative Cinema Award from the City of Graz was awarded to Constanze Ruhm for Anna Azzori's Notes – A mirror that travels through time. Inspired by the 1960s documentary by Alberto Grifi and Massimo Sarchieli, Anes, lasting four hours, nonfiction research by 72 minutes to find clues as to who Anna Azzori was leads to a journey through space and time, where fame meets the young woman – that Grifi and Sarchielli met by chance in Piazza Navona – in Rome practically everywhere: in computer animations, in night shots, in demonstrations and literature. “The simple and captivating thought that every film, even each image of a film carries within it innumerable new perspectives inevitably brings an enormous increase in complexity in our world. Especially when it comes to discrimination issues, invisibility and exploitation, we can be grateful to an artist who moves with others to grasp these perspectives, allowing the emergence of new images, sounds and contexts ". With these words the jury, composed by Peter Taylor (director of the Berwick Film festival & Media Arts Festival, GB), Eva Könnemann (director, FROM) a Sasha Pirker (director, AT), justified his decision.
The Awards for the Best Interpretations of the Diagonal 20, in collaboration with VdFS, go to Julia Franz Richter for her “sensitive performance, well dosed and highly empathic” in The Diver inside as well as Dominik Warta for his performance “precise and never over the top” in the award-winning The Trouble With Being Born.
The festival's Best Short Film Award goes to Raphaela Schmid for Fisch. As Best Emerging Film, awarded by the youth jury of the Styrian Province, is rewarded The judgment in case K. di Özgür Anil. The short documentary winners of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau are already known. Go to the Total Refusal collective for How to Disappear.
Below, all the prizes of this Diagonal 2020.
Diagonal Grand Prix of the Styrian Province for Best Feature Film (€ 21.000)
– Sandra Wollner per The Trouble with being born
Diagonal Grand Prix of the Styrian Province for Best Cinematographic Documentary (21.000 euro)
– Sabine Derflinger per Johanna Dohnal – Visionary of Feminism
Diagonal Prize Innovative Cinema of the City of Graz (8.500 euro)
– Constanze fame per Gthe Notes by Anna Azzori – A mirror that travels through time
Diagonal Award for Best Fiction Short Film (5.500 euro)
– Raphaela Schmid per fish
Best Documentary Short Film of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau (4.000 euro)
– Total Refusal (Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf) per How to disappear
Diagonal Prize for the Best Debut of the Youth Jury of the Styrian Province (€ 5.500)
– Özgür Anil per The judgment in case K.
Prize Diagonal for Best Editing, in collaboration with Verband Filmschnitt (3.000 euro each, donated by VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers)
– Hannes Bruun per iThe Trouble with being born (best Editing)
– Friederike Weight per We did what had to be done
Diagonal Awards for Best Photography of the Association of Austrian Directors of Photography AAC (3.000 euro each, donated by VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers)
– Thimios bakatakis per The Lodge (Best Photography in a Feature Film)
– Yunus Roy Imer per Space Dogs (Best Photography in a Documentary Feature Film)
Diagonal Awards for Best Sound Editing of the Austrian Sound Film Association Filmton Austria (3.000 euro each, donated by VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers)
– Peter Kutin per The Trouble with being born (Best Sound Editing in a Fiction Feature Film)
– Florian Kofler per safety123 (Best Sound Editing in a Documentary Feature Film)
Diagonal Awards for Scenography and Costumes of the Association of Austrian Film Designers VÖF (3.000 euro each, donated by VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers)
– Katharina Wöppermann per Little Joe (Best scenography)
– Monika Buttinger per We still stay a bit (best Costume Design)
Diagonal Awards for Best Interpretations, in collaboration with VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers (3.000 euro each, donated by VdFS – Collecting society of filmmakers)
for the extraordinary performances of Austrian actress and an Austrian actor in a film in competition at Diagonal 20
– Julia Franz Richter per The Diver inside
– Dominik warta per The Trouble with being born
Diagonal Award to the Best Producers of the VAM – Verwertungsgesellschaft für Audiovisuelle Medien for exceptional production results in the field of cinema (€ 20.000)
The prize will be shared and will be awarded ex aequo:
– Plan C Filmproduktion in co-production with Derflinger Film for Johanna Dohnal – Visionary of Feminism
– coop99 Film production per Little Joe
“We congratulate all the winners from the bottom of our hearts and thank the international diagonal juries. The award-winning Diagonale'20 films illustrate the richness of the facets, the variety of contents and forms, as well as the potential of Austrian cinema. With them, the expectation for the next few months of shared cinema and festival moments grows. Together with supporters and donors of the Diagonale’20 prize, we hope to contribute to the visibility and recognition of Austrian cinema!”
— Peter Schernhuber and Sebastian Höglinger, artistic directors of the festival
All winners will also receive a work of art designed and produced by the artist Anna Paul.