Tricky Women/Tricky Realities 2025 in Austria: Call for Submissions from Female/Genderqueer Animation Filmmakers
The Tricky Women/Tricky Realities 2025 festival, set to take place in Vienna, Austria, from March 5-9, 2025, has officially opened its call for entries. The festival, renowned for its focus on animated works by female and genderqueer artists, invites filmmakers to submit their animated films and Virtual Reality (VR) projects for consideration.
As a significant event within the international festival landscape, Tricky Women/Tricky Realities stands out for its dedication to exploring feminist and queer-feminist narratives through animation. Submissions are open to short films completed after January 1, 2023, with the requirement that at least 50% of the film's content be animated and 50% of the directors identify as female or genderqueer. Male co-directors are also welcome to participate in the festival. The deadline for submissions is October 6, 2024, with the preliminary selection results to be announced at the end of January 2025.
In addition to the traditional categories, this year’s edition introduces a new competition for Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) works, highlighting innovative, high-quality projects that explore unique experiences within the virtual realm. This new category reflects the festival's ongoing commitment to expanding the boundaries of animation and immersive storytelling.
Participants in the festival will have the opportunity to compete for various prestigious awards. The Maria Lassnig Golden Film Reel, valued at 10,000 Euros, is among the top honors, sponsored by the Maria Lassnig Foundation. Other awards include the TRICKY WOMEN TRICKY REALITIES Award, the MQ Artist-in-Residence Award, and several audience awards, ensuring a broad range of recognition for outstanding work.
Beyond the competitive categories, Tricky Women/Tricky Realities also encourages submissions for its non-competitive special programs. These include "Work / Work Affairs," focusing on labor-related themes, "Feminist Topics," addressing power dynamics relative to gender, and "Fair Play," exploring justice within unjust institutions. These special calls are not limited to current works, allowing filmmakers to submit both new and older projects, provided they have not been previously submitted to the festival.
Filmmakers interested in participating can submit their works through FilmFreeway, with a waiver code available for those unable to pay the submission fee. Detailed competition conditions and submission guidelines are available on the festival's official website.