about
Queer Shorts Vienna (QSV) is an international short film festival that has showcased queer lived realities since 2023, enriching Austria's cultural landscape with new cinematic perspectives. In 2026, the festival will return as an independent winter edition, complemented by special programmes during Pride Month in June to maintain queer visibility throughout the year.
The upcoming edition emphasises a stronger international and intersectional orientation. Alongside the Austrian competition, new international sections will foster dialogue and exchange. Special attention is given to queer minorities as well as migrant and displaced communities whose stories are often underrepresented. The diverse film programme spans experimental works, animation and narrative shorts, and is accompanied by workshops, community events and the festival exhibition.
The festival was initiated by Yavuz Kurtulmus, Festival Director. Working alongside Creative Director Clara Tomschi and Jasmin Hagendorfer. All three collaborate closely on the curatorial vision and programming, positioning Vienna as a space of diversity and amplifying queer voices in film.
team
Founder & Festival Director
Yavuz Kurtulmus
Yavuz Kurtulmus is a Vienna-based filmmaker and cultural organizer whose work focuses on queer narratives, migration, and questions of identity. Through film and curatorial practice, he explores personal and collective histories shaped by displacement, belonging, and resistance. He is founder and director of Queer Shorts Vienna, where he works to create platforms for diverse queer voices and independent cinema.
Art & Creative Director
Clara Tomschi
Clara Tomschi is a Vienna-based designer, curator, and cultural organizer whose practice centers on graphic design as a tool for visibility, accessibility, and social change. Her work focuses on gender-inclusive typography, queer visual language, and the politics of representation within design. Through visual identities, publications, exhibitions, and film programmes, she explores how design and curatorial practice can challenge normative structures and create space for marginalized perspectives. She is Art & Creative Director of Queer Shorts Vienna, where she leads the festival’s visual identity as well as exhibition curation, and contributes to the programme by curating selected film sections.
