MISSION
STATEMENT ’22
First kisses, first touches, first loves, first-time moviemakers... There were so many first times for the First Austrian Queer and Minorities Film Festival that we can’t even count them! And yet there is always one last time... After ten exciting, passionate, and eventful years of festival history, it's time to say goodbye! However, before we get too emotional, we want to look back over ten magnificent years and joyfully say, we are filled with pride!
Transition International Queer & Minorities Film Festival was the first festival in Europe to highlight queer and migrant realities and the first one to be organized, designed, and curated by and for queer minorities. Starting in 2012 with a very specific focus, we soon realized that it was still a political imperative at that time to open up our program and address more general questions about queerness and intersectionality. Since the very beginning, it was our goal to raise awareness, increase visibility and create inclusive structures. The festival not only wanted to put queer and migrant realities in the spotlight, but it also wanted to be a platform for exchange and dialogue. It was a space for discussion and education, a pitch for creativity and progressive thinking. It was, not least, an activist intervention that continuously kept addressing essential political questions and never got tired of calling out instances of discrimination. Claim your space! was our slogan for many years. And in doing so, we wanted to provide space for as many people as possible. We were the first Austrian film festival to have its own program on queer refugees, which was even presented at the EU Parliament in Brussels in 2016. We supported political empowerment and cross-border visibility by participating in international film festivals, e.g. in Berlinale’s Teddy Award. We talked about love, desire, sexual identities, ethnicity, and religion; we showed brand-new film projects and continuously encouraged young people to take action themselves. We wanted to act as a role model for filmmakers and other festivals and create a space that would allow artists to generate new role models for themselves and those still searching for one. The variety of festivals and events that exist today for and by queer minorities is probably the most beautiful result of a process that started with the first screening ten years ago. Humbly we say that ten years of groundbreaking festival work, of building networks and educational efforts have likely contributed to the fact that today we have a colorful, vibrant, and diverse queer film and festival scene in this country.
We have met wonderful people, learned from outstanding artists, seen new talents emerge, and witnessed awareness being raised. And yet we know that there is still much to be done. Luckily, there are many bright minds, activist collectives, and innovative film projects willing to take on this task. We, too, will continue our creative process, asking critical questions and pointing out where injustice is taking place. But we feel it is time to explore new paths for ourselves and make room for new ideas. After all, transition is always a part of life.
Yavuz Kurtulmus & Jasmin Hagendorfer
Gründer & Festivaldirektor / Kreativdirektorin
text en: Christina Weidner
MISSION
STATEMENT ’22
First kisses, first touches, first loves, first-time moviemakers... There were so many first times for the First Austrian Queer and Minorities Film Festival that we can’t even count them! And yet there is always one last time... After ten exciting, passionate, and eventful years of festival history, it's time to say goodbye! However, before we get too emotional, we want to look back over ten magnificent years and joyfully say, we are filled with pride!
Transition International Queer & Minorities Film Festival was the first festival in Europe to highlight queer and migrant realities and the first one to be organized, designed, and curated by and for queer minorities. Starting in 2012 with a very specific focus, we soon realized that it was still a political imperative at that time to open up our program and address more general questions about queerness and intersectionality. Since the very beginning, it was our goal to raise awareness, increase visibility and create inclusive structures. The festival not only wanted to put queer and migrant realities in the spotlight, but it also wanted to be a platform for exchange and dialogue. It was a space for discussion and education, a pitch for creativity and progressive thinking. It was, not least, an activist intervention that continuously kept addressing essential political questions and never got tired of calling out instances of discrimination. Claim your space! was our slogan for many years. And in doing so, we wanted to provide space for as many people as possible. We were the first Austrian film festival to have its own program on queer refugees, which was even presented at the EU Parliament in Brussels in 2016. We supported political empowerment and cross-border visibility by participating in international film festivals, e.g. in Berlinale’s Teddy Award. We talked about love, desire, sexual identities, ethnicity, and religion; we showed brand-new film projects and continuously encouraged young people to take action themselves. We wanted to act as a role model for filmmakers and other festivals and create a space that would allow artists to generate new role models for themselves and those still searching for one. The variety of festivals and events that exist today for and by queer minorities is probably the most beautiful result of a process that started with the first screening ten years ago. Humbly we say that ten years of groundbreaking festival work, of building networks and educational efforts have likely contributed to the fact that today we have a colorful, vibrant, and diverse queer film and festival scene in this country.
We have met wonderful people, learned from outstanding artists, seen new talents emerge, and witnessed awareness being raised. And yet we know that there is still much to be done. Luckily, there are many bright minds, activist collectives, and innovative film projects willing to take on this task. We, too, will continue our creative process, asking critical questions and pointing out where injustice is taking place. But we feel it is time to explore new paths for ourselves and make room for new ideas. After all, transition is always a part of life.
Yavuz Kurtulmus & Jasmin Hagendorfer
Gründer & Festivaldirektor / Kreativdirektorin
text en: Christina Weidner