The Diagonale (Festival of Austrian Film) is a film festival that takes place every March in Graz, Austria. The festival was initially held under the auspices of the Austrian Film Commission in Salzburg from 1993 to 1995 but moved to Graz in 1998. Traditional cinema venues are Annenhof Kino, Schubertkino, KIZ RoyalKino, and the Filmzentrum im Rechbauerkino. At the end of the festival, expert juries award Austria's most highly endowed film prizes. The Festival of Austrian Film has consolidated its position as a regionally based festival for film buffs that brings the industry and audience together, strengthens Austrian film, and attracts international attention. History First Years The first three Diagonale festivals were organized by the Austrian Film Commission in early December each year in cooperation with the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg. The festival was directed by filmmaker Peter Tscherkassky in 1993 and 1994, and Heinrich Mis (then director of the ORF program kunst-stücke) in 1995. After a break, the festival moved to Graz. Its own supporting association "Forum österreichischer Film" was founded in 1998 under the leadership of Christine Dollhofer and Constantin Wulff, who presided over the association until 2003. In addition to film screenings, the program also includes discussions, audience talks, and exhibitions. In the first year in Graz, one hundred films were screened and prizes were awarded in three categories: a main prize, a prize for innovative cinema and a prize for newcomers. Later, a number of other prizes were added. In 1999, a prize for the best actor and actress was also awarded for the first time, although this was not the case again until 2008. Since 2000 The planning for the Diagonale 2004 initially began with a scandal, as Franz Morak, the State Secretary for the Arts responsible for the event, dismissed the previous program directors without explanation, despite their excellent performance, and replaced them with a new team without seeking consensus with the filmmakers concerned. Since this personnel selection met with opposition from nearly all filmmakers, it initially looked as if there might be two events with the same name: Morak's "official" Diagonale and an "unofficial" event set up by the media professionals themselves. Eventually, however, Morak relented and abandoned his event. After a restructuring of the sponsoring association and the willingness of numerous participants to volunteer, the Diagonale 2004 was able to take place in its usual form despite time pressure. The background to