Get out the fake blood and shades. Time to jump into parallel worlds where things just aren’t quite the same. Which is another way of saying you should take in some screenings at the SLASH film festival…
- A banquet for fans of genre films, from science fiction to the surreal
- Most films shown in the original English
- This festival is about the fun as much as the art
- 2023 dates: Sept 21 – Oct 1
- See also:
- Film festivals in Vienna
- Comic Con Vienna
- Vienna in September | October
A festival of fantastic films
We’re not talking fantastic as in amazing (though that may be true, too).
When the SLASH festival says it’s all about fantastic films, it’s the other meaning of the word. So movies that take you out of our reality and into stranger, more magical worlds…horror, fantasy, science fiction, surrealism…often films that don’t always get much time in conventional cinema showings.
Consider it a pick and mix from the (sometimes darker) imaginations of the cinematic world.
A mix that might throw out a My Own Private Idaho, but also a Meatball Machine Kodoku. A Raiders of the Lost Ark or an Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies.
Dozens of films typically get showings. Most of them are in English, or the original language with English subtitles. Look for the full programme on the SLASH website.
And like any self-respecting film festival, SLASH has a surrounding programme of events, with a touch more joy and flair than many of its cousins.
You might see star guests (Nicholas Cage attended back in 2018) or join the opening and closing parties, for example.
Incidentally, the same folk also usually host a mini-festival in late spring or early summer (it was May 4th to 6th in 2023) and make occasional guest appearances with selected films at other events. So keep your eye open for the SLASH logo.
2023 dates and tickets
2023 will be the festival’s fourteenth year with plans to run from September 21st to October 1st.
You can normally buy ticket packages online from the SLASH website or individual tickets from selected cinema box offices (once available); the main festival venues in 2023 look set to be the METRO Kinokulturhaus, Filmcasino and Gartenbaukino cinemas.