Austrian Film Awards

Overview

The Austrian Film Awards (Oesterreichischer Filmpreis) are presented annually by the Academy of Austrian Film in Vienna. The ceremony recognizes outstanding achievement in Austrian cinema across 18 categories, covering acting, directing, writing, technical crafts, documentary, and short film. The Academy has 689 members as of December 2025: 555 ordinary members, 93 associate members, 33 friends, and 8 supporting members. The organization has grown from 38 founding members in 2009 to nearly 700 today.

For Austrian filmmakers, the Filmpreis is the industry's highest peer recognition. The award influences funding decisions and positions filmmakers within the German-speaking and broader European co-production landscape. If you are an Austrian filmmaker planning a submission, the eligibility window for feature films runs from February 1 of the previous year through March 31 of the awards year. Films must demonstrate "significant Austrian cultural character" to qualify. See the official guidelines (PDF) for full details.

Eligibility and Submission

To qualify for the Austrian Film Awards, films must meet the following criteria:

• Be a feature-length Austrian fiction or documentary film with a theatrical release during the eligibility window (February 1 of the previous year through March 31 of the awards year)
• Demonstrate significant Austrian cultural character
• Short films must qualify through festival participation and awards recognition

The Academy reported a record 69 submissions for the 2025 ceremony: 24 fiction features, 26 documentaries, and 19 short films. This was the highest submission count in the organization's history.

Categories

The Austrian Film Awards presents 18 categories:

• Best Feature Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Short Film
• Best Director, Best Screenplay
• Best Female Lead Role, Best Male Lead Role
• Best Female Supporting Role, Best Male Supporting Role
• Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Design
• Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup
• Best Original Score, Best Casting
• Audience Award for Most-Visited Cinema Film (Publikumsstaerkster Kinofilm)

Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, and Best Sound Design each receive 4 nominations. All other categories receive 3 nominations.

Voting Process

The Academy uses a two-stage voting system. In the first stage, all ordinary members in each professional section (Berufsgruppe) nominate films and individuals in their respective categories through a secret, digitally supervised ballot overseen by a notary. Members use a "limited-vote" system: they may cast up to 3 votes in categories with 4 nominations, and up to 2 votes in categories with 3 nominations.

In categories covering cinematography, editing, music, and sound design, members who cast all 3 votes must allocate at least one vote to a documentary film. This rule ensures documentary craft is considered alongside fiction features.

A minimum of 10 ordinary members must be registered in each voting group by February of the awards year for that category to proceed. If a group falls below 10 members, the category is suspended for that year.

The second stage determines winners from the nominated films and individuals, again through a secret ballot.

Recent Ceremonies

16th Austrian Film Awards (2026)

The 16th Austrian Film Awards took place in June 2026 at the hq7 studios in Vienna, with over 1,000 guests in attendance. The ceremony was held under the motto "Eine Buehne fuer den Film" ("A Stage for Film"), with artistic direction by Julia Edtmeier and Alexander Pschill.

Perla dominated the ceremony, winning 8 awards including Best Feature Film. Vier Minus Drei won 5 awards, including Best Director (Adrian Goiginger), Best Screenplay (Senad Halilbasic), and Best Male Lead Role (Simon Schwarz). How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World won 2 awards.

Key winners:

The ceremony included a moment of silence for sound designer Jeanette Voltmann-Ochlatko, director's assistant Luna Jordan, and multimedia artist VALIE EXPORT, who designed the prize sculpture. The Academy announced that the sculpture will now be named "VALIE" in her honor.

Funding Context

Austria's film industry operates within a public funding structure. The Austrian Film Institute (Oesterreichisches Filminstitut, OeFI) receives federal contributions of EUR 36.5 million for 2026, plus an additional EUR 2.5 million for the OeFI+ innovation fund. However, the OeFI+ allocation dropped sharply from EUR 44.3 million in 2025 to EUR 2.5 million in 2026, creating significant uncertainty in the sector.

Approximately 5,000 Austrian film companies employ around 15,000 people. The Academy has called for the swift introduction of streaming platform investment obligations and a levy on streaming providers to stabilize funding. The 2025 annual report described the situation as "a significant crisis" caused by the elimination of the OeFI+ program and uncertainty around the continuation of FISA+ (a separate production incentive).

Significance for Filmmakers

For Austrian filmmakers, the Filmpreis is the highest domestic peer recognition. Winning Best Feature Film or Best Director directly influences subsequent funding decisions from the Austrian Film Institute and regional film funds. The award also positions filmmakers within the German-speaking co-production market, where Austrian projects frequently partner with German and Swiss producers.

Austria's cultural proximity to Germany and its participation in European co-production treaties mean that Filmpreis recognition carries weight across multiple territories. A Best Feature Film win can open doors to German distribution deals and European co-production financing that would otherwise require separate negotiation.

The Audience Award has particular commercial significance. The 2026 winner, Aufputzt is', drew 448,429 cinema admissions, making it the most-watched Austrian film in domestic cinemas for the eligibility period. This number is meaningful in a market of 9 million people and signals box office viability to distributors.

Past Winners and What They Won With

The Austrian Film Award (Osterreichischer Filmpreis) is Austria's national film award, presented annually by the Austrian Film Academy (Osterreichische Filmakademie). The 2026 Audience Award winner Aufputzt is' drew 448,429 cinema admissions, making it the most-watched Austrian film in domestic cinemas for the eligibility period. This number is significant in a market of 9 million people and signals box office viability to distributors. The Austrian Film Awards cover categories including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Score, Best Editing, and the Audience Award. The awards are voted by the Austrian Film Academy membership of approximately 500 Austrian film industry professionals. The ceremony is typically held in January or February in Vienna.

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

For Austrian filmmakers, the Filmpreis is the highest domestic peer recognition. Winning Best Feature Film or Best Director directly influences subsequent funding decisions from the Austrian Film Institute (Osterreichisches Filminstitut) and regional film funds. The award also positions filmmakers within the German-speaking co-production market, where Austrian projects frequently partner with German and Swiss producers. Austria's cultural proximity to Germany and its participation in European co-production treaties mean that Filmpreis recognition carries weight across multiple territories. A Best Feature Film win can open doors to German distribution deals and European co-production financing that would otherwise require separate negotiation. The Audience Award has particular commercial significance, as it is based on actual cinema admissions rather than academy votes. The Austrian Film Academy membership includes professionals across all filmmaking disciplines, with craft specialists voting in their own categories and all members voting on top prizes.

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See Also

For understanding how European national film funding works, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across European territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.