Ever since Groucho Marx was a guest of Viennale in 1966 due to the first retrospective together with the Film Museum, Hollywood and its stars have been an integral part of the festival. Despite working under different conditions all directors of the Viennale have tried to build bridges between the larger-than-life world of stars and more “modest“ forms of cinema. Thus Viennale has not only hosted some remarkable encounters but also found ways to look at the commercial side of cinema from an artistic or political point-of-view. Some snapshots give an impression of the glamour and the immense honour we felt as a festival.