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Erste Bank MehrWert Filmpreis V'20

10 years ExtraVALUE Film Awards

18 Oct 2021

10 years ExtraVALUE Film Awards

When the ExtraVALUE Film Award is presented at the end of a long festival during the Viennale's closing gala, it is undoubtedly one of the emotional highlights of the festival. The film prize, initiated and donated by Erste Bank, was awarded for the first time in 2011. Since then, numerous filmmakers have received the coveted award. The award winners include greats of Austrian filmmaking such as Sudabeh Mortezai, Gustav Deutsch or Friedl vom Gröller.

GWENDOLYN

It is of tremendous value that this award includes a residency for the winning filmmakers in New York and a screening at the prestigious Anthology Film Archives. In this way, a fine piece of the culture lived here spills across the Atlantic and allows the award winners to continue their so important work. Such a stay often releases new creative energies and gives the artists the important space to freely develop their creative impulses. Films such as Ruth Kaaserers' GWENDOLYN or Gustav Deutschs' SHIRLEY - VISIONS OF REALITY started a highly regarded international careerstarted a highly regarded international career not least from New York. his cross-border dialogue is also extremely important to us as Viennale.

"It is a recognition for the film and the work of the filmmaker, as well as a motivation to continue like this, and to develop further, because it seems that what I do is also a pleasure for others, and not just a personal pleasure and passion," expressed last year's winner Pavel Cuzuioc.

SHIRLEY - VISIONS OF REALITY

It is particularly striking that the independent juries have honored the entire spectrum of Austrian cinema over the years. From large and small feature films to documentaries and avant-garde, this award is all about artistic visions and the promotion of outstanding cinematic achievements with full conviction. Now in its tenth year, this is a great asset for the Viennale and the Austrian film landscape. 

Therefore, there is really not much to add to the following statement of two-time award winner Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (for DER GLANZ DES TAGES and MISTER UNIVERSO) eigentlich nicht viel hinzuzufügen: "The ExtraVALUE Film Award has not only given us the opportunity to share our films with a New York audience, but has also given us a carefree and extremely productive time that has had a lasting influence and inspiration on us as filmmakers. If only there were EXTRA ExtraVALUE Film Awards!"

In celebration of the anniversary, all award-winning films of the Erste Bank ExtraVALUE Film Award will be available for streaming in the Kino VoD Club - the cinema for at home.

The films will be online from October 21 with the start of the Viennale.