(Selection)
One of the most important film festivals in Austria is the festival CROSSING EUROPE in Linz. There are 160 films in the program. This time there is also a focus on the crisis in Europe.
3sat kulturzeit // Julia Fellerer
Again this year, one of the festival’s praiseworthy intentions is that of concentrating on movies from so-called “low-capacity countries” – ie, nations with a smaller and underdeveloped film industry – as well as productions that are unable to find room on the regular theatrical circuit despite their international festival success. [
] Crossing Europe will also unspool an impressive number of sidebar sections: among these, the European Panorama section really stands out, with its colourful selection of the most recent productions from the continent. [
] A Special Panorama on socio-political issues, a tribute to Sergei Loznitsa, and sections devoted to works by European newcomers and local filmmakers round off the programme of the festival. – The event is aiming to gain even more ground with this year’s edition, remaining true to its initial ideas.
cineuropa.org // David González
That’s a full dozen now. The 12th CROSSING EUROPE Film Festival as a mirror of late capitalist conditions, in which traditions and memories are run over. [
] It has already been twelve years since the festival director and program-maker Christine Dollhofer set out to show European cinema with political ambitions and a critical awareness in the beautiful city on the Danube. These are films that direct attention to those in danger of losing out in the economic space of Europe that has meanwhile been turned into a fortress. At the same time, it has been taken for granted from the beginning that works by and about women occupy the space that other festivals would consider a generous gesture to be applauded by the media.
epd film // Alexandra Seitz
Young Europe – CROSSING EUROPE has continued to grow in its twelfth year and yet still remains young, devoted to auteur cinema, new forms of film and open-minded thinking.
FILM & TV Kameramann // Philipp von Lucke
The festival was distinguished this time again by outstanding, critical and clever filmmaking. In the competition there were mostly debut films to be experienced. And experienced is not an exaggeration, as the intensive states on the screen could be palpably felt in the best moments, even though this often meant physical tension. [
] It was enriching again to be able to look into so many countries in the cinemas of Linz. How familiar and then again disturbingly remote this continent often seems – and not least of all, how heavily guarded it is, as CROSSING EUROPE makes us aware. I can’t think of any other place where you can get that close to so many life worlds, without even having to move much.
fm4.orf.at // Maria Motter
There are a total of 42 world premieres in the program of CROSSING EUROPE, a festival that speaks of its films in terms of positions – of cinema, on entertainment, on the state of Europe today. CROSSING EUROPE itself takes the position of mediating the interlocking of the local and the international.
Die Furche // Thomas Taborsky
CROSSING EUROPE is the hub for cineastes, the heart of European cinema.
Kronen Zeitung Oberösterreich // Milli Hornegger
The strength of CROSSING EUROPE is found not only in the twelve films in this year’s competition, though, but in the overall concept of the six-day event. Because in addition to the platform for newcomers, with the section “Panorama” the festival also offers insights into new works by great European auteur filmmakers, which will probably not find their way into cinemas, presents exciting genre cinema with new European horror films in the section “Night Sight”, enables local artists to present their works to the public, and demonstrates a strong social engagement in all sections. – Despite the diversity of the program sections, each film is carefully chosen – hand-picked, in fact. Here there are no concessions and no compromises: a festival with a clear profile, growing from one year to the next in significance and reputation.
kultur-online.net // Walter Gasperi
For cineastes the city of Linz becomes the absolute hot spot in spring again. 160 films in six days. CROSSING EUROPE extends an invitation to the grand array of auteur cinema.
Kurier Oberösterreich
With a diversity of films stemming from Norway to Ukraine, CROSSING EUROPE takes on the grand task of representing European cinema. From all walks of life and all colours of Europe, it will give a glimpse into what is happening now, showing the best of today’s European cinema.
My Art Guides // Rebecca Arthur
Now for the twelfth time, Christine Dollhofer and her team have turned the CROSSING EUROPE Festival into an event again, a gathering of the creative auteur filmmakers of Europe. [
] The excited confusion of languages of the film fans in the Arena during these days could be a small example of the Europe one would wish for, a wonderful symbol for belonging, exchange, and openness, which does not leave desperate people drowning.
Neues Volksblatt // Philipp Wagenhofer
Since 2004, CROSSING EUROPE in Linz has become a prevailing film festival for cineaste discoveries.
OÖ Nachrichten // Peter Grubmüller
With this year’s program CROSSING EUROPE once again lives up to its own claim of being a projection surface of a continent in transformation.
Ö1 Radio // Benno Feichter
The purported paradise of Europe – the thoroughly successful twelfth CROSSING EUROPE Film Festival came to a close Monday evening with the awards presentation. The focus again this year was on young, critical filmmaking far outside the mainstream. Here the theme of flight and migration formed a leitmotif through all the program sections – as a disturbing mirror image of the current headlines about mass deaths near Lampedusa.
orf.at // Maya Mckechneay
From north to south, from east to west. Every year the CROSSING EUROPE Film Festival Linz extends an invitation to a cineaste journey through Europe. The festival is devoted to a contemporary auteur cinema that has no fear of experiments or engaging with uncomfortable topics.
Raiffeisen Zeitung // Eva Pakisch
Now in its twelfth year, CROSSING EUROPE Film Festival in Linz still upholds its high standards, showing the very finest of European cinema with political aspirations and critical awareness.
ray filmmagazin // Alexandra Seitz
CROSSING EUROPE is an auteur film festival that dares to look from Linz out into the world: festival director Christine Dollhofer has now curated the festival a dozen times. There are prizes, which are important particularly for young directors, but the competition is not the main attraction: Linz has become a festival of networking and cooperation, especially for national and international filmmakers and curators.
Salzburger Nachrichten // Lena Miedl
If there is one theme that has occupied CROSSING EUROPE throughout eleven years, then it is the aftereffects of the Balkan War. Yet at the same time, the perspectives have changed: with more distance in time to the collapse of Yugoslavia, the film material also seems more and more abstract; then all the more skill and effort is needed to make the past present.
Der Standard // Dominik Kamalzadeh, Isabella Reicher
Young, willing, radical and great in cinema – CROSSING EUROPE devotes a new program section to young directors for the first time: “Cinema Next Europe”
Was ist los? // Nora Bruckmüller
Most of it selected by the busy director of the the festival, Christine Dollhofer, whose untiring efforts on behalf of film art repeatedly track down surprising jewels at the festivals of the world and bring them to Linz. She has not only invented CROSSING EUROPE, but also made it internationally known: the reputation of the festival has grown significantly abroad, and the people of Linz gratefully accept the festival too.
Wiener Zeitung // Matthias Greuling
