That was Screenshot – Open Air Football Film Festival 2025!

Summer is drawing to a close – and what better way to mark the occasion than with an open-air football film festival on the square at 1210?

On Friday, 12 September, the festival kicked off with Immer wieder geht die Sonne auf (AT 2017, 105 min.), a documentary about the resurgence of FC Blau-Weiß Linz, which fought its way back after the merger of former rivals – and in doing so became a symbol of tradition, community and anti-exclusion. Director Dominik Thaller then answered questions from the audience during a Q&A session, accompanied by Jan Tilman Schwab from the 11mm Football Film Festival Berlin.

Saturday evening focused on ‘Football Undercover’ (DE 2008, 86 min., original version with subtitles): a Berlin women's football team plans to play against the Iranian national team – a film that explores cultural differences but also reveals similarities in passion and commitment

Sunday offered a double feature: first, The Making of Futbol (AT 2008, 32 min.), a mockumentary starring Michael Ostrowski and Franzobel, who set off for the Styrian countryside to find out what constitutes real Austrian football – between reality and fiction. This was followed by Eagles from Taga (RO/SK 2022, 74 min., OmeU), in which directors Adina Popescu and Iulian Manuel Gharvas trace the everyday life of a small football team in Transylvania – caught between adversity, passion and an unshakeable urge to keep going. Followed by: Discussion with the main protagonist Nelu Târnovan, moderated by Jan Tilman Schwab.

The supporting programme opened on Thursday evening with ‘Club 2x11: How cinema learned to kick – on the history and development of football films’, a discussion evening that looked back nostalgically and shed light on the roots of football films.

Screenshot 2025 was not just a series of film screenings – it was a summer finale full of stories, with a heart for football, social issues and cultural diversity. Films, discussions and audiences showed that football is much more than just a game. It can be a bridge, a mirror, a form of resistance. And the cinema on the square proved that the open air not only makes it easier to breathe, but also makes you feel better!