The 19th edition of #ethnocineca – International Documentary Film Festival Vienna will open on 8 May 2025, with the Austrian premiere of Home Game by #Lidija Zelovic#. The festival, which runs through May 14 at Vienna’s Votiv Kino and Kino De France, brings a thematic focus on «Hauntings»—a reflection on how history lingers in personal and political memory.

Zelovic’s Home Game offers a poignant meditation on #exile and #identity through personal archival footage. Drawing from her family’s experience fleeing #Bosnia during the #Yugoslav Wars#, the film traces the enduring effects of #war,# nationalism, and integration across generations. As Zelovic’s son grows up in the Netherlands, she captures the subtle, persistent reverberations of a fractured past, interlacing themes of #populism, #racism, and belonging. The film will be presented in her presence at the opening night screening.

This year’s curatorial programme investigates the unresolved legacies of colonialism, conflict, and historical violence. Cultural anthropologist #Jacqueline Nsiah# will deliver a keynote entitled «Hauntings: The Unfinished Business of Colonialism,» where she will question how historical trauma continues to shape bodies, images, and institutions. Her address will frame a curated strand examining colonial residues across the African continent and diaspora.

Over seven days, ethnocineca will present international and Austrian films across five award categories, alongside panels, talks, and masterclasses. With «Hauntings» as its guiding concept, the festival positions documentary cinema as both a cultural excavation and a site of social reckoning.

More information and programme details are available at www.ethnocineca.at.