Eva Sangiorgi Appointed Director of Viennale, Breaking National and Gender Barriers

Eva Sangiorgi, a 39-year-old Italian-born curator and film festival organizer, has been named the new director of the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival), marking the first time the festival has been led by a non-Austrian and by a woman. The appointment was announced in January 2018 and was made "with pleasure and conviction" by the selection committee. Sangiorgi, born in Faenza in 1978, holds degrees in Communication Sciences from Bologna and Art History from the National University of Mexico. She founded the FICUNAM (International Film Festival of Mexico City) in 2010 and has served as its artistic and commercial director, a role she will complete with the 2018 edition running from February 28 to March 6. Since 2003, she has programmed international festivals across Mexico and Europe, and since 2012, she has served on juries in South America, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Sangiorgi will relocate to Vienna at the end of March to assume her duties. The Viennale, now in its 56th edition, will take place from October 25 to November 8, 2018. Notably, the festival does not have a jury and awards no prizes, a unique characteristic among major film festivals. The director alone is responsible for selecting films for the 15-day event, which must include a significant number of premieres and attract international cinema figures.