About Cittador IFF
The Mission of Cittador
The mission of Cittador IFF is to select and award the best independent films based solely on artistic quality. Regardless of cultural background, filmmakers’ training, age, genre, or ideas, one thing is important to CIFF: inspiring, high-quality, captivating, original, and imaginative films outside the mainstream. CIFF is truly independent, free from commercial constraints, and curates films according to high artistic and content-related criteria.
The Way of Cittador
With a focus on new, powerful, and original films, the CIFF jury carefully evaluates each work, and award-winning films receive a public jury statement highlighting the significance and uniqueness of the selection.
The festival is committed to empowering filmmakers’ perspectives and visions. Therefore, filmmakers have the option of submitting a written interview with their film, which Cittador IFF publishes in the festival catalog. This gives all selected artists—whether award-winning or not—the opportunity to share their thoughts and personal opinions.
The festival conducts video interviews with filmmakers and team members in person after the awards ceremony. These conversations become part of the “Cittador’s Talks” series, available on the website.
Cittador IFF is not just a simple showcase of films, but also a space for exchange and networking among all participants. Following the festive awards ceremony, Cittador IFF offers filmmakers a meet-and-greet opportunity to connect with both the audience and each other.
Behind Cittador
Cittador IFF was founded in Vienna in 2022 by filmmakers Ana Bilić and Danilo Wimmer. Their concept and vision for the festival’s spirit are captured in Ana Bilić’s book CITTADOR My CITTADOR!, 300 winged words in English and German, with the slogan: individual, extraordinary, creative. The book is also part of the film prize.
With its diverse genres, unwavering commitment to quality, and open dialogue between audiences and filmmakers, A. Bilić and D. Wimmer make CIFF a unique festival of independent cinema. It provides a platform for stories that need to be told and voices that should be heard.
