Clara Stern
Clara Stern, screenplay author and director; born in 1987 in Vienna, Austria. Studies of Directing and Screenplay Writing, Film Academy Vienna, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria. Awardee Carl-Mayer-Screenplay-Award of the city of Graz, 2016. Several short films: documentaries and fiction. Austrian Film Award 2018 and Award for Best Fiction Short Film 2017 at Diagonale, Festival of Austrian Film, 2017 for MATHIAS (Fiction, 30 Min)
MATHIAS – Mathias is transgender. Although he is more than sure about his decision to live as a man, he still has to find his way in his new identity and especially in his new job. And also his relationship with his girlfriend seems to have changed due to the transition.
Luz Olivares Capelle
Luz Olivares Capelle was born in Rufino, Argentina and lives in Vienna, Austria. She studied Film Directing at the National Institute for Cinematographic Production and Experimentation in Buenos Aires, E.N.E.R.C. Following that, she obtained a Master‘s degree in the Film Directing class of Michael Haneke at the Film Academy Vienna, University of Music and Performing Arts. In addition, she studied in the Masterclass for Drawing and Graphics with Prof. Gunter Damisch, at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. As a filmmaker, she has won various awards including Best Experimental & Conceptual Film for EL RITUAL DEL COLOR at the Austrian American Short Film Festival (AASFF) in New York 2016. And her most recent film, WALD DER ECHOS (2107), screening at the AASFF this year, has accumulated many prizes already, including Best Short Film under the Österreichischer Filmpreis, the Max Ophüls Prize, the Grand Prix International Short Award at the Cork Film Festival and the Best Austrian Short Film at the Vienna Independent Shorts festival.
Patrick Vollrath
Celebrated filmmaker Patrick Vollrath, director of the Oscar-nominated short film ALLES WIRD GUT (EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY), is in residence during the festival and will present his film in the framework of a special screening, followed by a conversation with Festival Curator Stephanie Falkeis.
Patrick Vollrath grew up in a small town in Central Germany. From 2005 to 2008, this talented director was a trainee at ARRI Film and Television in Munich, Germany. He started his career working as an editor and in 2008, he began his Bachelor Film Studies in Directing at the University of Music and Performing Arts – Film Academy in Vienna and graduated with honours. Patrick studied in the class of Academy Award and two times Palme D’Or Winner Michael Haneke. Furthermore, Patrick Vollrath became a participant of the ‘Cannes Young Lions Competition’ and the ‘Berlinale Talent Campus’ in 2013. He went on to win several national and international prizes for his work and his latest film EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY, was not only shown at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, it also won a Student Academy Award, was nominated for an Oscar for best life-action short, was awarded the prize of “Best Short Film” by the Austrian Academy of Film, as well as winning many prestigious international prizes and every important ‘upcoming’ award in Germany.