Vienna’s annual Jewish Film Festival pays tribute to the rich variety of movies tackling aspects of Jewish life from around the world.
- Wide mix of international Jewish cinema
- Accompanying programme may include Q&As, talks, and other events
- Most films in English or with English subtitles
- 2024 dates: TBA (was Apr 19 – May 3 in 2023)
- See also:
Jewish cinema in Vienna
The annual Jewish Film Festival is a truly international event, selecting its films from far beyond the borders of Austria or Israel.
And it’s more than just a series of films.
After a showing, you might get to put questions to the director. Or a movie tracing the fate of holocaust survivors might be introduced by an antisemitism specialist. Or a dance film might be followed by a chance to put into practice what you’ve just seen on the silver screen.
For the full programme, including any talks and other events around the film showings, take a peek at the festival website.
N.B. Many (most) of the films are either in English or have English subtitles.
2024 dates and tickets
I don’t have the dates yet for 2024. Watch this space or the official website.
The festival shifted from the usual spring slot to autumn for 2021, but the 2022 edition saw a return to April/May. Dates for 2023 were April 19th to May 3rd with a central theme of 75 years of Israel.
Check the official website as well for ticket details; you can normally buy them, for example, online for many of the showings from about a month before the festival begins.
If you’d like to explore more Jewish culture while in Vienna, then take a peek at the Jewish Vienna page. You may even find a film-related exhibition at the wonderful Jewish Museum (back in 2020, for example, we had one on Hedy Lamarr).
How to get to the cinemas
The main venues for the 2023 festival were:
Village Cinema Wien Mitte
This one could not be more convenient, since Wien Mitte is a large station on the U3 and U4 subway lines. Trams 1 and O also go there.
Address: Landstraßer Hauptstraße 2a, 1030 Vienna | Website
Metro Kinokulturhaus
This is the main home of the Austrian Film Archive, right in the centre of town. It’s about halfway between the Karlsplatz (U1, U2 and U4 subway lines) and Stephansplatz (U1 and U3 subway lines) stations.
Address: Johannesgasse 4, 1010 Vienna | Website