Cinema under the stars stops on «DiePresse.com

Vienna. Filmmakers in Vienna will have to settle for an outdoor cinema in the future. One of the city's most famous outdoor cinemas, the Cinema Under the Stars on Vienna's Karlsplatz, takes place for the last time this year. Just two days before the last screening of the film tomorrow, Commissioner Judith Wieser-Huber announced Thursday that she would not continue the festival.

There is a lack of money, says Wieser-Huber. "Vienna has been sponsoring the festival for ten years with the same amount of money." The increase in costs can not be offset by additional sponsorships and cooperations. "With this tight financing, it is impossible to develop cinema under the stars."

Preliminary programs, to which she invited artists as before, performances, shows and readings as formerly by singer Austrofred or director Michael Glawogger – who would have Wieser Huber to keep the festival alive. But the budget was not enough

The festival received about 100,000 euros of funding from the city of Vienna, "and some 10,000 sponsors," said Richard Pyrker, spokesman for the festival. They tried to get more sponsors. "It has not become easier, but more difficult." Also this year, it is still not sure that "it will turn". Wieser-Huber as a bearer of the badociation has to bear the remaining costs. She said she "had no desire for such precarious conditions."

The city regrets the retirement of the cinema, as spokeswoman for City Councilor for Cultural Affairs Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ) said. We are not very satisfied with the procedure: it was unfortunate that the organizers did not seek the conversation with the city.

Already in 2017 was on hiatus

The problems are not new. Already in the summer of 2017, the cinema was to be canceled under the stars – which, unlike many other outdoor cinemas, does not require admission. Due to the modification of the Vienna City By-Law, the grant was only granted two months before the start of the festival – way too late, as Pyrker says

With cinema under the stars, Vienna loses its cinema d & # 39; summer. There was (almost) only domestic production, from well-known popular hits like "The Dark Valley" to movies that were otherwise (almost) only cineas.

It is also one of the city's oldest open-air cinemas, if not the oldest: The Volxkino, which occurs in various parts of the city, was pioneered in 1990 in a open air cinema in Vienna, soon followed by other organizers (see article below). Cinema under the stars began in 1996 in Augarten. On a specially built grandstand, there were nearly 1000 people – although at that time, the visit to the cinema still had to be paid. In 2009, the festival moved to Karlsplatz, the films were presented from that date with a free admission. He had his visitor record in 2006 with 25,000 visitors. Due to inclement weather and competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, the organizers foresee some 12,000 visitors in 2018.

Vienna will now have to do without two outdoor cinemas: The Schloss Neugebaude castle cinema in Simmering and programmed with big American blockbusters was very different from cinema under the stars, there is more: the long-time operator has also – for budgetary reasons – his film festival after the Summer 2017.