NEWS
Upcoming Festival: Crossing Europe 2026

With 133 feature films, documentaries, and short films from 39 countries, audiences can look forward to a kaleidoscope of European perspectives, including 13 world premieres, 2 international premieres, and 68 Austrian premieres. This year, family stories serve as a central theme running through the film program - incredibly diverse with regard to the issues they address, and tremendously multifarious in their artistic approaches.

Family as the core of interpersonal relationships in challenging times, whose examination, fragmentation, or reinvention allows to reflect on and to analyze the major issues. But it is also beyond the topic of family that European cinema once again proves to be multifaceted, meaningful and socio-politically alert, as well as entertaining.

The international cooperation within the framework of the European film festival network Moving Images – Open Borders continues in 2026.

• One core project is the Lab of Cultural, Creative and Festival Journalism. Held in collaboration with Cineuropa, its fifth edition this year will take place at several of the network’s festivals, including, for the first time, Crossing Europe. In April, an international group of young film critics and journalists will be given the opportunity to attend the festival free of charge and to take writing workshops

• An important part is also the MIOB NEW VISION AWARD (€3,000), honoring a debut or second European fiction feature or documentary feature film. As in the two years before, the award will again be presented in the context of Crossing Europe. Also, a network-spanning audience survey will, for the second time after 2024, be carried out during the festival.

• In 2026, as part of MIOB, a professional green consultant will once again attend Crossing Europe and evaluate the ongoing festival work on the basis of sustainability parameters.

▶ The festival website
▶ Crossing Europe on Instagram
▶ The MIOB network on Instagram