This year, Funkhaus Wien will become the Viennale Zentrale for the first time, serving as a meeting place for cinephiles and audiophiles alike. On selected evenings, the Viennale Zentrale will transform into a party zone featuring international DJs and live acts. In addition, talks and presentations with filmmakers and experts will take place alongside the festival programme. Before and after the events, there will be space for conversation and encounters.
Club nights in cooperation with FM4.
FUNKHAUS SESSION 1: JASMINE ZHANG (LIVE)
The Vienna-based saxophonist and composer Jasmine Zhang invites audiences into a new sonic world with her warm modern jazz sound. Together with her sextet, she creates a space for musical openness and improvisation. Following the concert, the evening continues with an open jam session, where live MCs improvise alongside the musicians.
Viennale Zentrale im Funkhaus Wien
LARS EIDINGER
Lars Eidinger never misses the opportunity to stop by the Viennale, and this year is no exception. He is represented at the festival with two films, and of course, his DJ set is not to be missed either. At Funkhaus Wien, he will keep the night going after the cinema with his now legendary Viennale set, moving seamlessly between eclectic pop, rap, 1980s sounds and techno.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
TAYLAH ELAINE / ALFREDT / MIRABHAI / CLARK
Soularium hosts parties built around a diverse, genre-crossing sound. For this edition, they have invited London-based DJ and producer Taylah Elaine, whose high-energy sets blend hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, amapiano and electronic club sounds. With her eclectic selections and powerful sound, she brings her own distinctive musical signature to the Viennale.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
FUNKHAUS SESSION 2: Irievibrations Dubstation (LIVE)
On the Sunday before the public holiday, the Early Dance Floor invites everyone onto the dance floor from early evening onwards, perfect for those who do not want to wait until late at night to start dancing. The night kicks off with a live dub set by Syrix, who, through his Irie Vibrations DubStation project, transforms classics of the Rub-a-Dub era into deep, bass-heavy dub versions.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
KORNELIA BINICEWICZ / TROPICAL THUNDER
Kornelia Binicewicz, an Istanbul-based DJ, curator and founder of Ladies on Records, opens up her record collection to reveal rare musical treasures from the MENA region, shining a light on overlooked musical voices, particularly those of women. To round off the evening, Tropical Thunder will bring tropical vibes and a final burst of energy to the dance floor.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
TALK WITH LAÏLA MARRAKCHI
Since her debut MAROCK, which caused a stir in Morocco in 2005, Laïla Marrakchi has been telling stories of women who claim their own desires and their own voices, always with humour and great affection: from the sisters in ROCK THE CASBAH to the Moroccan strawberry pickers in Andalusia in LA MÁS DULCE (STRAWBERRIES). A conversation about writing for cinema between Morocco and Europe, between intimacy and society, and about transforming documentary research into fictional narratives. Moderated by Olga Kosanović. In English.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
ROUND TABLE: INVESTMENT OBLIGATION – ERFAHRUNGEN UND SZENARIEN IN EUROPA
More than a dozen European countries already require streaming services to reinvest a portion of their local revenues into national film and television production, and the debate is currently gaining momentum in Austria. But what impact have such models actually had on independent production, world sales and auteur cinema, and what might a model tailored to Austria look like? With Nicolas Anthomé (F), Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu (A/LUX), Christoph Friedel (D), Montse Triola (ES), moderated by Rebecca De Pas. In English.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
FUNKHAUS SESSION 3: TURIST (LIVE) / C.U.N.T.S.
Turist is a Vienna-based psych-dembow project that combines the energy of a live band with the precision of an overdub session. Drawing on a wide range of global influences, the group creates driving instrumental music with danceable rhythms, psychedelic sounds and a strong sense of groove. Following the concert, the evening continues with C.U.N.T.S (Creative Unique and Notably Talented Souls) and an open rap cypher, offering a powerful counter-narrative to the male-dominated rap scene.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
BEIRUT GROOVE COLLECTIVE
As a musical tribute to the Jocelyne Saab retrospective, the Beirut Groove Collective invites audiences to an evening at Funkhaus Wien. Ernesto Chahoud grew up in the Beirut of the 1980s, the very city portrayed in Saab’s films, and has remained deeply connected to its music from that era to the present day. A club night that builds a bridge between the cinema screen and the dance floor.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
HALLOWEEN! METROPOLIS! CLEEEO / KAPOTE / THAO
For Halloween, the Viennale Club transforms into the world of Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS, the visionary black-and-white film from 1927 whose fictional story is set in the year 2026. Toy Tonics founder Kapote brings the film’s futuristic aesthetic into the present, channeling the energy of the Berlin Toy Tonics Jams with his funky mix of disco, house, broken beat and new wave. Joining him is Cleeeo from Southern Italy with a groove-driven disco and house set. Local support comes from Thao. Costumes are warmly encouraged, but by no means required.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
ROUND TABLE: IN MEMORY OF SIMON FIELD
Founder of the magazine Afterimage, pioneer of Asian cinema at London’s ICA, director of IFFR, where he established the Tiger Competition and Exploding Cinema, and producer of Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Simon Field (1946–2026) was above all a connector, bringing together people, films and ideas with warmth, generosity and a great sense of humour. Friends and longtime colleagues come together to remember him. The event will be followed by a toast to Simon. With: Ilse Hughan (NL), Gerwin Tamsma (NL), Cis Bierinckx (BE), Andrea Lissoni (I), Dennis Lim (USA). In English.
Viennale Zentrale at Funkhaus Wien
TALK WITH VOLKER SCHLÖNDORFF
From YOUNG TÖRLESS and THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM to THE TIN DRUM, winner of both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award, Volker Schlöndorff has navigated the worlds of literature and cinema, the New German Cinema and international productions like few others. A look back at six decades of filmmaking, exploring adaptation as a form of dialogue and cinema as a means of taking a stand. Moderated by Bert Rebhandl.
