Jul Tirler

Jul Tirler is a researcher at the Institute of Theatre, Film and Media Studies within the Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna, specializing in intersections of visual culture, film studies, and critical gender/queer theories. Holding doctoral credentials (Mag. Dr.) and active through 2025, Tirler's work critically examines representational politics, feminist practices, and precarity in moving image media.

Research focuses on trans and non-binary representation in contemporary cinema, queer Austrian film history, and collective feminist film production strategies. Tirler investigates embodiment paradoxes, cringe aesthetics in marginalized representation, and emancipatory potential in collaborative image-making, bridging theoretical critique with practical film curation initiatives.

Recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate consistent engagement with queer cinema historiography, trans representation politics, and feminist media collectives, reflecting interdisciplinary methodology across film studies, gender theory, and visual culture analysis. This work manifests in both scholarly publications and public-facing film programming.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Marietta Blau Scholarship (2018)
• DOC Scholarship (2019)

Tirler currently co-leads the multi-year "Queer Cinema Austria 1906-2022" research project (2024-2027), analyzing historical queer representation in Austrian cinema while organizing public film presentations for Pride events. Grant-funded activities include empirical data collection on research presentability and collaborations with film festivals like Diagonale 2025.

As core member of the Queer Cinema Austria team alongside Andrea Braidt and Nicole Kandioler-Biet, Tirler contributes to both academic discourse through conference presentations and public engagement via film curation, maintaining strong institutional ties to the University of Vienna's media studies infrastructure.