Since its founding in 1964, the Austrian Film Museum has been dedicated to the preservation, study, and presentation of the medium of film. Its pursuits are as wide and varied as the medium itself: The Film Museum operates a cinema, manages a collection, and functions as a research and educational facility.

Above all, the Film Museum is a place for encountering images and stories that can, ideally, change how we see the world. Film is the most important new art form of the 20th century and perhaps the most vivid and influential documentary record of contemporary history.

As a globally networked nonprofit funded by the City of Vienna and the Republic of Austria along with significant member support, it fulfills the role of a museum for the art and history of film in Austria. The Film Museum's exhibitions take place on screen.

As a full member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and the Association of European Film Archives and Cinematheques (ACE), the Film Museum is committed to the mutual preservation and ongoing exhibition of the medium of film on a global scale through its collection and a variety of related activities.