Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film

The Grand Diagonale Awards of the Province of Styria go to the best feature film and the best documentary. The Diagonale Award for Innovative Cinema of the City of Graz honours an innovative, experimental or animation film. Further Diagonale Awards cover short fiction film, short documentary, young talent film (chosen by a youth jury), editing, cinematography, sound design, film score, set and costume design, and outstanding production. Alongside them, the festival presents the Grand Diagonale Acting Award, the Audience Award, the Franz Grabner Prize, the Carl Mayer Screenplay Awards, the Thomas Pluch Screenplay Awards, the Kodak Analog Film Prize and the Mabacher Award. Each winner receives the golden diagonal nut, a bronze sculpture by the artist Anna Paul.

Films and videos of all genres, formats and lengths can be submitted if the filmmaker lives in Austria or is an Austrian citizen (Austrians living abroad included) and/or Austria is a country of production or co-production. A submitted film must not have premiered or had its first screening before 1 January 2025. A film already rejected by the Diagonale cannot be resubmitted unless it has been substantially changed, for example recut. Films are registered online. Submissions for the 2027 edition are accepted from 1 September to 30 November 2026, and screener links are accepted until 7 December 2026. Only screener links are accepted, not downloadable files or physical media. All films selected for the programme take part in the competitions. Co-productions compete if the majority of the production is Austrian; co-productions with minority Austrian financing may be shown out of competition. The festival pays no rental fees for competition screenings and asks for English subtitles.