THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS in Austria is back ...

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Dave Watterson
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THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS in Austria is back ...

Post by Dave Watterson »

When long-time director and driving-force, Erich Riess, retired last year we all feared it would be the end of the Festival of Nations, affectionately known as "Ebensee" after the name of the town on the lake where it took place for many years. But a new team have taken it over. It means moving a short distance and from one lake in the beautiful Salzkammergut to another:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... BSMei0F5Vg[/youtube]

There is no entry fee, films may be up to 30 minutes long. The languages of the festival are German and English. The closing date is 2nd February. The showcase festival will be 14th - 20th June in an attractive cinema in Lenzing. Their new website is still being revised and extended but you can get the electronic entry form and more information here:
http://www.festival-of-nations.com/index.php/en/
Ian Woodward
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Re: THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS in Austria is back ...

Post by Ian Woodward »

With so many long-established international festivals aimed at non-professional film-makers sadly cancelled or disbanded last year, it gets 2013 off to an exciting and heartening to hear that Austria’s prestigious Festival of Nations has been brought back from the brink by what appears to be an energetic and innovative new team headed by Christian Gaigg.

Well done and thank you.

Ian Woodward
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Dave Watterson
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Re: THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS in Austria is back ...

Post by Dave Watterson »

The Austrian Festival of Nations has survived its transfer from the town of Ebensee to the town of Lenzing – a couple of beautiful Salzkammergut valleys away.

The friendly and laid-back nature of the event was still in place. The new director, Christian Gaigg, seemed to involve his whole family in helping. In a lovely moment he and the former director, Erich Riess, jointly declared the festival open. During the week there were outings and treats like a visit to a schnapps makers, a trip to an exhibition about the artist Gustav Klimt and a sail on the lake.

Plus points?
On the technical front it was significantly better. The Lichtspiel (Light Play) cinema is new, has a huge screen, bright picture, multi-track sound and luxurious seats. Even my six-foot four inch frame (1.95m) had lots of leg room. Upstairs there was a swish café which served great food, coffee, tea, drinks and ice-cream! That was important since outside the temperature was in the mid 30s Celsius. There was still a presence of students from the Fadinger School – not so many as before since they did not have to undertake the technical work – but enough to brighten the place up a lot.

Snags?
Lenzing is a company town and essentially a dormitory for the 3,000 people employed in the Lenzing Group’s three huge factories. There is little to see or explore in the town. Fifteen minutes’ walk, however, gets you to open fields and woods where you can wander. The same time in a car will get you to the beautiful Attersee an enormous and unfeasibly beautiful lake. Half an hour by car/bus/taxi gets you to Vocklabruck for all the retail therapy you wish.

Films?
This year around 850 were submitted and around 130 shown. The festival caters for “non-commercial” films so there were many film-school and indie productions alongside amateur ones. We like this chance to see some of the best work at the level above ours … well above what most of us can do. A few amateur films held their own against the rest. Preference is still given to films by film makers who take the trouble to attend the event.
Only one UK film was shown: The Poetry of Mammoths by Jim Walker from Yorkshire. Jim won a silver level award.
The organisers plan to run the festival again next year … our advice is submit a film if you like, but in any case go. Over 90% of the films were in English or had English subtitles. Most of the audience and helpers speak good English. If you do not have German you will miss the discussions between jury and audience … though they will conduct those in English if the film-maker concerned does not know German.
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Dave Watterson
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Re: THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS in Austria is back ...

Post by Dave Watterson »

The special awards at the Festival of Nations went to ...

Best film from Upper Austria:
PEOPLE ARE LIKE DOORS / MENSCHEN SIND WIE TÜREN by Felix Greisinger, Austria Drama, 10 min.

Best film from the youth blocks:
THIRSTY FROG / DER DURSTIGE FROSCH Jean-Luc Slock, Belgium Animation, 3 min.

Best non-Austrian film:
TENNIS ELBOW / DER TENNISARM Vital Philippot, France Fiction, 15 min.

Christian Gaigg prize for best engagements (?most involving films?)
CLIPS / CLIPS Fadingerschule 4abcd, Austria Fiction, 8x 2 min.

Special jury prize for best storytelling
REWIND / REWIND Tamara König, Daniel Hollerweger Austria, Fiction, 4 min.

Best Austrian film: / Best film of the festival:
A HEROIC CHANCELLOR / HELDENKANZLER Benjamin Swiczinsky, Austria Animation, 13 min

UNICA prize:
LAAA / LAAA Miroslav Klaric, Croatia Animation, 3 min.

Special jury prize for unusual lighting
THE CITY IS QUIET / DIE STADT IST LEISE Alexandre Labarussiat, France Fiction, 19 min.
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