Are there other film festivals? Yes, every year in summertime (since 1996) there is the “open-air cinema” in Vienna at the Rathausplatz, offering 900 seats. It shows great music performances and opera films and there is no entrance fee. It is also called “cinema under the stars“. Another great film festival is organized in Graz every year, it is called Diagonale and takes place every year in March. This festival represents Austria´s current film scenes as well as national and international film premieres at different traditional cinema venues like the Annenhof, the Geidorf Kunstkino or the augartenkino kiz. An important part of this festival is that the most important domestic film prizes are also awarded.

«Empire» by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Another initiative to promote the film scene has started in 2004 where “Vienna Independent Shorts” (VIS) was held for the very first time. This is an international short film festival, actually the largest in Austria. In 2010 VIS was held at 7 screening locations in Vienna and added 2 new competitions in the category “international narrative and documentary short film”.

Back to Viennale

This festival shows a carefully picked selection of new films from all over the world as well as new Austrian films. Viennale however is not a competitive festival, it is also not committed to present international premieres. A festival like the Viennale has the possibility to move and acts like it does and always has done in the past, unrestrictedly. The main program of 2010 contains approximately 130 feature films and tries to represent an image of the current “world of cinema” as well as its developments and tendencies. Internally it is called “the Continent of Cinema” and features a number of well-known names and exciting new works like f.e. works by Jean-Luc Godard, Woody Allen, Frederick Wisemann, Marco Bellocchio and many others. The unknown regions of “the Continent of Cinema” that will be released this year will include names like Aaron Katz, Renate Costa, Jeff Malmberg and Pietro Marcello. A new part of the program is that an extraordinary variety of works with and about cinema personalities is being showed, including the portrayal of the American record producer and song-writer Phil Spector, Andy Warhol´s mystified superstar Candy Darling or the legendary pioneer and role-model of all paparazzi photographers Ron Galella.

Viennale also dedicates special Tribute programs to specific personalities like the organization does every year, in 2010 there is a Tribute to Larry Cohen as well as a Tribute to William Lubtchansky, the chapter “special programs” within the overall program includes “Drifting States” about the Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté as well as “Exposed” which contains “The Experimental Cinema” of Siegfried A. Fruhauf.

Viennale 2010 takes place from 21^st October to 3^rd November in Vienna at different cinema locations like the Künstlerhaus, Gartenbaukino, Urania or Metro and is accompanied by some nice side events like “Filmmakers at the Turntables“, an event by “Feld72“, a young Viennese group of architects who create new social contexts in urban space through minimal changes and the opening event on 21^st October on the Badeschiff by Julian Maclean/Hugo Capablanca.

Grab your 3-D glasses (or not?) and pick your film or your event … Viennale is in town!

1. Who are you?

2. What do you like about what you do?
No one tells me what to do, except our bank manager. Being an entrepreneur has many advantages, it is very fulfilling and satisfactory to achieve success based on your own ideas.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
Well sometimes I would love to switch off my brain, and spend an evening without thinking of our venture. My life is the business right now, it is hard to switch off.

4. Please tell us about “Not just a label” and your aims?
NJAL is the London based online platform for emerging graduates and design talent, counting more than a thousand fashion designers from over forty countries. It provides an outlet for talent to blossom; a place where visionaries meet collaborators dedicated to the creative spirit of fashion. The platform targets graduates and avant-garde fashion designers, providing a stage where collections are showcased online. Numerous designers have already been discovered by international press and recruited by renowned retailers and prestigious fashion houses via the NJAL website.

We have now launched THE SHOP, a new kind of online shopping experience offering unique, one-off designer garments. Addicts and admirers alike now have the opportunity to purchase special and limited edition pieces from designers recognised as the leaders in avant-garde fashion. Check it out!

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog and why?
Yes we must say that blogs made our success possible. In general the power of blogs is underestimated. Blogs by Diane Pernet, Susie Bubble and so on dictate what is “hip” in fashion these days, and it gives readers in every part of the world the possibility to get in touch and interact with an industry which normally is hard to access.

6. Your experiences with the fashion/lifestyle industry in general?
Let me tell you that fashion is not so different to other industries, I have worked in finance and media before, and all industries have their positive and negative sides. What I love about fashion is its drive to hedonism; you are surrounded by beauty in every sense all the time.

7. Any comments you want to share with us?
Not today, we just launched THE SHOP and our phones don’t stop ringing …

Enjoy Vienna, what a city…

2. What do you like about what you do?
Designdevelopment, management, production, etc – I love the diversification of my daily business. For me it’s fascinating to build up a label, it’s a big challenge, which I love to meet everyday anew, with all up and downs.

3. What don’t you like about what you do?
Although I like the diversification, I sometimes wish to have more time and more capacity for the realisation of our multifaceted ideas.

4. Please tell us about your label ‘Elfenkleid’ and your aims?
the fashion label elfenkleid is located in vienna and has been active for the last eight years. 2003 we opened our own shop in the fourth district and 2007 we decided to go international with our brand.
but we also wanted to extend our label with an couture collection. so we created the ‘black & white edition’. This collection includes wedding gowns and dresses for a special occasion. flowing, sumptuous materials and artful details grace these unique pieces, distinguished by their elegant and timeless forms. we hope to place this collection on the international market as good as on the national.

5. Are you working with blogs and if yes, what is your favourite blog?
Sure, we are working with blogs – it is really interesting and it is wonderful if you see that people are so interested in fashion. We don’t have a favourite blog cause there are too many good blogs to have one favourite.

6. Your experiences with the fashion industry?
The fashion industry is a hard business. It is so overloaded that you really have to find a niche where you can place your label.

This award is awarded by WMA to those websites only which reach an outstanding score in the categories design, interactivity, technology, content and innovation.
Regarding the website of „The Ring“, the international jury stressed  the clarity, the appealing layout and the convincing presentation of the relaxed and calm atmosphere of the luxury property.
Both client and agency are very happy about this statement, as “casual luxury“ is the key concept of „The Ring“.

Download press release (PDF, 38 kb)

European Business Express delivers a detailed report about The Ring Hotel in their September issue.

• Jan Hendrik van Dillen – Palais Coburg
• Oscar del Campo, Imperial & Bristol
• Carl-Peter Echtermeijer, Grand Hotel Wien & The Ring Hotel
• Johann Mikats, Ambassador.

In May 2008 van Dillen, del Campo, Echtermeijer and Mikats met with Vienna Deluxe to determine which factors their luxury hotels have in common. At the traditional Café Griensteidl, it was remarkable to note what a magnet Vienna has become for foreign guests.”

Click below to download the complete article in German, English and Russian (PDF, 2.4 MB):