| Grand Diagonale Award 2025 |
| of the Province of Styria |

| FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM |

Lisa Polster
Bürglkopf

Jury Statement:
The view of the picturesque mountain landscape of Tyrol changes and distorts with every shot, with every cut. What is a hiking area and weekend retreat for some, is captivity for others. Up on the mountain, at an altitude of 1300 meters, people are housed who are fleeing and waiting for the outcome of their asylum process. The denial of a filming permit influences the artistic form. Lisa Polster doesn’t give up, and she succeeds in making contact with several men from the Bürglkopf return center. The open cinematography places the men’s conversations – who come, among other places, from Syria, Iraq, and Sudan – in relation to the backdrop of the alpine landscape, the tourism industry, and, in turn, to the local population’s commentary.

The locals also benefit from this and hire cheap labor as needed. Gradually, a shift in perspective emerges, creating a complex image of Austrian and European migration policies and everyday racism. Director Lisa Polster and her cinematographer Jasmin Schwendinger fundamentally shift the notion of a beautiful view.

Jury Documentary Film
Annett Busch (Curator, Writer, DE)
Stefan Neuberger (Cinematographer, DE)
Christof Schertenleib (Editor, Director, CH)