Diagonale
Diagonale
Diagonale
Diagonale
Festival of Austrian Film
March 27 - April 1, 2025, Graz

endowed with

€ 15,000 – donated by the Province of Styria/Culture

€ 1,000 – donated by the streaming platform watchAUT plus a promotional credit on watchAut over
€ 3.000

 

and a voucher for
€ 4,000 – donated by The Grand Post – Post Production Houses

The prize money will be awarded to the director of the film, the voucher to the film’s production company. All Austrian feature films presented in the Diagonale ’25 competition program will be considered for the Grand Diagonale Feature Film Award.

 

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

| FOR BEST FEATURE FILM |

Mo Harawe
The Village Next to Paradise

Jury Statement:
The film begins with the impact of a combat drone. Where the news footage ends, it opens its narrative in a distant place and at a slowed-down pace. With a fine sensitivity to nuances, it directs its characters and their rhythm, gradually building its quiet intensity. The relationships between the characters can only be sensed for a long time before they are slowly revealed, unfolding their significance. In doing so, the film also subtly highlights other societal contexts that manifest in the relationships between the characters, such as their connection to money, debt, or the judiciary.

And time and again, the sound of the combat drones from off-screen passes over the characters’ heads, reminding us of the limitations of news images. A political film that doesn’t need to raise its voice – and precisely because of that, it offers hope: through its gentle, loving gaze at the characters and their interactions.

 

 

Jury Feature Film
Hans Broich (Director, Producer, DE)
Malika Rabahallah (Festival Director, Producer, DE/FR)
Nele Wohlatz (Director, DE)

 

 

 

 

  • –
  • –
  • –
Consent Management Platform by Real Cookie Banner