Viennale

What Viennale does

Viennale (legal name: Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival) is a non-profit association (Verein) under Austrian law, founded in 1960 and headquartered at Siebensterngasse 2, Vienna. It operates Austria's largest film festival and one of Europe's longest-running audience-focused festivals, presenting a curated, non-competitive programme of international cinema. The 63rd edition ran October 16–28, 2025, and the 64th edition is scheduled for October 22 – November 3, 2026. The festival holds FIAPF accreditation as a non-competitive festival and shows only Austrian premieres alongside retrospectives and thematic sections, in collaboration with the Austrian Film Museum and partner cinemas including Gartenbaukino (the main venue), Metro Kinokulturhaus, Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, Filmcasino, Admiral Kino, Votiv Kino, and Filmhaus.

The organisation's core offering is the annual festival programme, monetised primarily through individual ticket sales (€11.50 standard, €10.50 reduced), bulk ticket voucher blocks (10 or 20 tickets), and related merchandise and publications including annual catalogues, retrospective catalogues, the TEXTUR and The Useful Book publication series, posters, DVDs, lanyards, and backpacks. The technology stack is non-proprietary: the website is built and operated by Protobyte, database and ticketing are handled by JART, and web analytics use the privacy-friendly Plausible Analytics platform. Additional revenue comes from sponsorships — notably main sponsor Erste Bank and public support from Stadt Wien (City of Vienna) and BMWKMS (Austrian Federal Ministry) — as well as accreditation fees for press and industry professionals.

Viennale is governed by a President (Christian Petzold, appointed May 2025 after a four-year vacancy), Director Eva Sangiorgi, Managing Director Paolo Calamita, a Managing Board, and a Board of Trustees. Beyond the October–November festival window, Viennale has expanded into year-round programming through community initiatives such as GrätzlVIENNALE (neighbourhood screenings) and 'Kino wie noch nie' (open-air cinema with Filmarchiv Austria). Marketing is multi-channel, combining the viennale.at website, email newsletters, a postal Pocketguide programme booklet, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Letterboxd), press conferences, and earned media coverage, with strong ties to cultural and press partners including the Standard newspaper.

Name

Viennale

Legal name

Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival

Website

https://viennale.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Viennale is a Vienna-based non-profit film festival association, founded in 1960 and operating Austria's largest international film festival. It serves cinephiles, press, and the film industry through curated annual screenings, retrospectives, publications, and merchandise across multiple city cinemas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• International film festival
• Arthouse cinema programming
• Film festival tickets
• Film festival publications
• Cultural event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling individual tickets and ticket voucher blocks (10 or 20 tickets) for festival screenings across multiple Viennese cinemas. Revenue model is seasonal, concentrated during the festival period in October-November.
2. Merchandise & Publications: Sale of festival catalogues (current and retrospective), posters (festival posters and retro posters), TEXTUR publication series, THE USEFUL BOOK series, DVDs, lanyards, backpacks, and ticket vouchers for future festivals.
3. Sponsorships & Partnerships: Support from main sponsor Erste Bank, Stadt Wien (City of Vienna), and BMWKMS (Austrian Federal Ministry). Sponsors receive branding visibility across festival materials and venues.
4. Accreditation & Press Services: Press accreditation fees for media professionals covering the festival.
5. Pocketguide Subscriptions: Free programme booklet distributed by post to subscribers. Optional postal subscription for the Viennale programme booklet and event information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Viennale is the Vienna International Film Festival, an annual curated event presenting international feature films, documentaries, shorts, retrospectives, and special programs in Vienna. Beyond the screenings, it sells tickets and ticket vouchers, publishes festival and retrospective catalogues plus the TEXTUR and "The Useful Book" series, and distributes festival merchandise such as posters, DVDs, lanyards, and backpacks. The festival is accredited by FIAPF as a competitive feature film festival and operates as a non-profit association.

Product overview

Viennale is a film festival organization offering a curated programme of international cinema without competition. Its product portfolio consists of: (1) ticketing services including individual tickets and voucher blocks for 10 or 20 screenings; (2) printed publications including annual Festival Catalogues, Retrospective Catalogues, the TEXTUR series dedicated to individual filmmakers, and The Useful Book series; (3) merchandise including festival posters, retroposters, filmstills posters, DVDs, lanyards, and backpacks; and (4) the free Newsletter and Pocketguide programme booklet. The festival's main venue is the Gartenbaukino in Vienna, with the next edition scheduled for October 22 to November 3, 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Viennale International Film Festival (Annual Screenings Program) Curated annual international film festival presented in Vienna, including feature films, documentaries, short films, retrospectives, and director-focused programs for Viennese and international cinephile audiences and industry guests.
• Viennale Ticket Voucher (10-Block) Bundle of 10 festival admission vouchers sold at a discounted price, redeemable for screenings at the Viennale for individual film enthusiasts, students, seniors, and association members.
• Viennale Ticket Voucher (20-Block) Bundle of 20 festival admission vouchers sold at a deeper per-ticket discount, redeemable for screenings at the Viennale for committed individual festival attendees.
• Festival Catalogues Printed annual publication documenting the Viennale program, including film descriptions, credits, essays, and editorial context, sold through the online shop and on-site.
• Retrospective Catalogues Specialized printed catalogues accompanying Viennale retrospective programs, offering deeper scholarly and editorial coverage of featured filmmakers and film histories.
• TEXTUR Publication Series Ongoing Viennale-affiliated publication series providing extended editorial content on cinema beyond the annual festival catalogues, sold through the online shop.
• "The Useful Book" Publication Series Ongoing Viennale-affiliated publication series forming part of the festival's broader editorial program, sold to readers and festival audiences.
• Festival Posters Official Viennale festival posters produced for each edition, sold as branded merchandise to festival attendees and the general public via the online shop.
• Viennale DVDs DVD products associated with Viennale programming, sold as merchandise through the online shop.
• Festival Lanyards Branded Viennale lanyards sold as festival merchandise to attendees and the public.
• Festival Backpacks Branded Viennale backpacks sold as festival merchandise to attendees and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63rd edition attracted 150+ international film industry guests including A-list celebrities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Erste BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Main sponsor (Hauptsponsor) of Viennale. Erste Bank provides financial support and sponsorship, with significant branding presence across festival materials, website, and promotional content. The partnership includes co-branding of the Erste Bank Filmpreis awarded during the festival.
• Stadt Wien (City of Vienna)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Vienna provides support and sponsorship for the festival. The city logo appears on festival website and materials as a supporting partner.
• BMWKMS (Austrian Federal Ministry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Ministry providing institutional support and sponsorship for the festival as a major cultural event in Austria.
• Filmarchiv AustriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Film Archive collaborates with Viennale on open-air cinema programming, including the 'Kino wie noch nie' (Cinema Like Never Before) summer outdoor cinema series from June to August 2026.
• Österreichisches Filmmuseum (Austrian Film Museum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Austrian Film Museum collaborates on retrospectives and thematic programmes. Retrospective screenings of the Viennale continue at the Filmmuseum after the festival concludes. Jurij Meden from the museum co-presents festival programmes.
• Metro KinokulturhauscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFestival venue partner. Florian Widegger leads the programme at Metro Kinokulturhaus. Hosts press conferences and major festival screenings.
• Stadtkino im KünstlerhausmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFestival cinema venue. Hosts press conferences and festival screenings. Partnership with Wiktoria Pelzer as managing director of Stadtkino.
• GartenbaukinocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain festival cinema venue - the iconic historic cinema serves as the primary location for screenings and the gala opening. Advance booking office located here.
• VOLXkinomajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity cinema initiative. Viennale participates in GrätzlViennale programming at VOLXkino's summer outdoor cinema circuit, bringing free screenings to neighborhoods across Vienna.
• Standard (Newspaper)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing sponsorship for the Viennale Preis der Standard-Publikumsjury (Standard Audience Jury Prize).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Zurich Film Festival (ZFF): ZFF is a Swiss-German-language film festival comparable in regional positioning to Viennale. Both serve overlapping German-speaking European cinephile and industry audiences with multi-venue urban festival formats.

Direct peers

• San Sebastián International Film Festival: San Sebastián is a FIAPF A-list European festival comparable in scale and arthouse positioning to Viennale. Both target auteur premieres, regional European programming, and shared industry/press attendees.
• Venice Film Festival: Venice (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica) is another FIAPF-accredited A-list festival adjacent to Viennale in the European festival calendar. Both target international auteur cinema and share filmmaker, distributor, and press audiences.
• BFI London Film Festival: BFI London Film Festival is a major European film festival with comparable scale, audience positioning, and a focus on curated contemporary cinema. Both festivals operate city-wide across multiple cinema venues with similar ticket-pricing structures.
• Locarno Film Festival: Locarno is a Swiss FIAPF-competitive festival with strong cinephile focus and a similar scale to Viennale. It is a like-for-like peer serving German-speaking European cinephile and industry audiences with curated programming.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): TIFF is a North American A-list festival with overlapping global filmmaker guest lists and similar industry/audience programming model. While geographically distinct, it competes with Viennale for premieres and press coverage of the same international cinema slate.
• International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR): IFFR is a European festival focused on independent and experimental cinema, sharing Viennale's cinephile and auteur positioning. Both target festival programmers, press, and industry audiences interested in curated cutting-edge cinema.
• Karlovy Vary International Film Festival: Karlovy Vary is a Central European FIAPF-accredited festival that directly competes with Viennale for regional audiences and industry attention. Both festivals serve overlapping Central European cinephile markets on similar autumn programming calendars.
• Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale): Berlinale is the world's largest publicly attended film festival and a direct A-list festival peer to Viennale. Both are FIAPF-recognized, audience-focused festivals anchored in German-speaking Europe with overlapping filmmaker and press ecosystems.
• Cannes Film Festival: Cannes is the most prestigious global film festival and FIAPF-accredited competitive festival. It competes with Viennale for the same pool of filmmaker premieres and cinephile audiences, anchoring the upper end of the festival circuit that Viennale sits within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCskJipNHDDcX-AVJ_jouvmg
• Facebookfacebook.com/viennalefilmfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/viennale_official
• Xx.com/viennale

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Viennale