Press Release #3/26
Architecture and Society | Local Artists: Special on PRINZpod and Another Feature Film Title | First YAAAS! Competition Titles and School Screenings
11.03.2026 // Architecture and Society: Displacement and the Displaced
Presented in cooperation with afo architekturforum oberösterreich for the 17th time, the program section Architecture and Society in 2026 revolves around the topic of transformation. Curated by Mia Hemmerling and Gerald Wöss, it features five documentary works dealing with displacement from different perspectives and taking a look at political and economic interests, social struggles, and demographic upheaval.
THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY (PL 2025, R/D: Natalia Pietsch & Grzegorz Piekarski) accompanies the residents of the old town of Hasankeyf, Türkiye, as they try to live their daily lives before getting dislodged because of a dam project. Likewise, THE SINKING FRINGE (NL 2025, R/D: Mirte Jepma) tells the stories of people and initiatives that had to make way for an urban development project. The short film THE GREAT TOGETHER (FR/IT/BA 2025, R/D: Rocio Calzado & Jasper Meurer) portrays four large housing projects and their individual yet global challenges. WHITE SMOKE OVER SCHWARZE PUMPE (DE 2025, R/D: Martin Gressmann, Peter Badel, Dieter Chill & Stefan Oliveira-Pita) captures the decades-long structural transformation in the Brandenburg Lausitz and the situation of the local people concerned. Finally, the shift from displacement and appropriation to renewed displacement is shown in REPLANTED (SK 2025, R/D: Andrea Kalinová), by portraying the last inhabitants of a former sanatorium in Georgia.
Local Artists: Special on PRINZpod and Another Feature Film Title
This year’s Local Artists program section includes a Special dedicated to the internationally renowned artist duo PRINZpod: living together for more than 40 years, Brigitte Prinzgau and Wolfgang Podgorschek’s work in fine art, film, design, architecture, and intervention transcends genres. Ebba Sinzinger’s documentary THE ART ACCOMPLICES (AT 2026, R/D: Ebba Sinzinger) provides a glimpse into their artistic universe shaped by anti-capitalism and solidarity. As guests of the festival, the duo will also present a program with their own short films. The Special is complemented by a collaboration with Galerie MAERZ, which will pay tribute to PRINZpod with an exhibition already from mid-April.
The Austrian premiere of Konrad Wakolbinger’s IN SEARCH OF STOLEN TIME (AT 2025, R/D: Konrad Wakolbinger) completes the feature film program in the Competition Local Artists. In his essayistic documentary, he asks who actually owns time in a world shaped by capitalism.
YAAAS! Youth Program: Competition Films as School Screenings
With the first two titles from the YAAAS! Competition, which once more provides a window to the life realities of European youths and young adults, we are also announcing two of the three school screenings – this time at particularly attractive prices for students, thanks to the support of Linz AG:
In BABYSTAR (DE 2025, R/D: Joscha Bongard, distributor: Filmladen / cinematic release: 26 June 2026), teenaged Luca has been the star on her parents’ social media channels since she was born. But her reality becomes unhinged when they plan to have another child for content reasons. For her feature film debut NINJA MOTHERF*CKING DESTRUCTION (DE 2025), Lotta Schwerk accompanied her protagonists over an entire eight years. The result is a powerful, unfiltered coming-of-age story in real time.
Dates for school screenings, registration information, and all details about the YAAAS! Youth Program can be found at www.crossingeurope.at/yaaas.
Industry Afternoon on 30 April
The upcoming festival edition will also provide the venue for the second Crossing Europe Industry Afternoon, a free-admission event that, in addition to industry representatives, is also aimed at people interested in cinema who would like to gain more in-depth insights about the life realities of European filmmakers. As a networking platform for the local and international protagonists of an industry faced with complex challenges, Crossing Europe wishes to offer room for discourse, networking, and fresh impulses. Talks on a variety of topic areas will be on the schedule, just as well as opportunities for one-on-one consultations for film creatives.
The elaborate press release, logo, festival motif and press photos are available as usual on our website.
Presented in cooperation with afo architekturforum oberösterreich for the 17th time, the program section Architecture and Society in 2026 revolves around the topic of transformation. Curated by Mia Hemmerling and Gerald Wöss, it features five documentary works dealing with displacement from different perspectives and taking a look at political and economic interests, social struggles, and demographic upheaval.
THE TOWN THAT DROVE AWAY (PL 2025, R/D: Natalia Pietsch & Grzegorz Piekarski) accompanies the residents of the old town of Hasankeyf, Türkiye, as they try to live their daily lives before getting dislodged because of a dam project. Likewise, THE SINKING FRINGE (NL 2025, R/D: Mirte Jepma) tells the stories of people and initiatives that had to make way for an urban development project. The short film THE GREAT TOGETHER (FR/IT/BA 2025, R/D: Rocio Calzado & Jasper Meurer) portrays four large housing projects and their individual yet global challenges. WHITE SMOKE OVER SCHWARZE PUMPE (DE 2025, R/D: Martin Gressmann, Peter Badel, Dieter Chill & Stefan Oliveira-Pita) captures the decades-long structural transformation in the Brandenburg Lausitz and the situation of the local people concerned. Finally, the shift from displacement and appropriation to renewed displacement is shown in REPLANTED (SK 2025, R/D: Andrea Kalinová), by portraying the last inhabitants of a former sanatorium in Georgia.
Local Artists: Special on PRINZpod and Another Feature Film Title
This year’s Local Artists program section includes a Special dedicated to the internationally renowned artist duo PRINZpod: living together for more than 40 years, Brigitte Prinzgau and Wolfgang Podgorschek’s work in fine art, film, design, architecture, and intervention transcends genres. Ebba Sinzinger’s documentary THE ART ACCOMPLICES (AT 2026, R/D: Ebba Sinzinger) provides a glimpse into their artistic universe shaped by anti-capitalism and solidarity. As guests of the festival, the duo will also present a program with their own short films. The Special is complemented by a collaboration with Galerie MAERZ, which will pay tribute to PRINZpod with an exhibition already from mid-April.
The Austrian premiere of Konrad Wakolbinger’s IN SEARCH OF STOLEN TIME (AT 2025, R/D: Konrad Wakolbinger) completes the feature film program in the Competition Local Artists. In his essayistic documentary, he asks who actually owns time in a world shaped by capitalism.
YAAAS! Youth Program: Competition Films as School Screenings
With the first two titles from the YAAAS! Competition, which once more provides a window to the life realities of European youths and young adults, we are also announcing two of the three school screenings – this time at particularly attractive prices for students, thanks to the support of Linz AG:
In BABYSTAR (DE 2025, R/D: Joscha Bongard, distributor: Filmladen / cinematic release: 26 June 2026), teenaged Luca has been the star on her parents’ social media channels since she was born. But her reality becomes unhinged when they plan to have another child for content reasons. For her feature film debut NINJA MOTHERF*CKING DESTRUCTION (DE 2025), Lotta Schwerk accompanied her protagonists over an entire eight years. The result is a powerful, unfiltered coming-of-age story in real time.
Dates for school screenings, registration information, and all details about the YAAAS! Youth Program can be found at www.crossingeurope.at/yaaas.
Industry Afternoon on 30 April
The upcoming festival edition will also provide the venue for the second Crossing Europe Industry Afternoon, a free-admission event that, in addition to industry representatives, is also aimed at people interested in cinema who would like to gain more in-depth insights about the life realities of European filmmakers. As a networking platform for the local and international protagonists of an industry faced with complex challenges, Crossing Europe wishes to offer room for discourse, networking, and fresh impulses. Talks on a variety of topic areas will be on the schedule, just as well as opportunities for one-on-one consultations for film creatives.
The elaborate press release, logo, festival motif and press photos are available as usual on our website.
Comprehensive press release HERE: