Two Austrian (co)productions are among the first competition titles announced by the Berlin Festival. Benjamin Heisenberg's
Der Räuber (The Robber) and Jasmila Zbanic's Na Putu (On the Path) will be competing for the Golden Bears 2010.
Benjamin Heisenberg's The Robber tells the true story of a man with many talents: Johann Rettenberger wins marathons and is a professional bank robber. For
years he lives with his girlfriend in Vienna without being found, and sets out repeatedly, driven to stay in motion and motivated
by the beauty of a criminal campaign. When the authorities finally close in, he uses his legs in an attempt to escape the
largest deployment of police officers in Austrias post-war history.
Benjamin Heisenbergs second film after his successful Sleeper portrays the robber as a lover on a search for freedom, whose anarchistic life philosophy unavoidably leads to a conflict
with society. The Robber is about reckless bank robberies, landscapes, ill-fated love and a dramatic escape. It combines the drama surrounding a mythical
criminal, the meditative psychology of modern crime and the quiet euphoria of a true love story.
The Robber stars Andreas Lust and Franziska Weisz.
Produced by Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion (A) and Peter Heilrath Filmproduktion (D)
World Sales: Films Distribution (Paris)
About Jasmila Zabanic's On The Path:
The love of a married couple who try to conceive a child is shadowed by the husband's fear and his attempt to find salvation
in Islam - but the form of Islam that is unknown to Bosnian Moslems. The husband turns to Wahhabism, radical sect in Islam.
This is a story about a trauma and the great love that tries to overcome it, and a story about a woman and her right to choose.
On The Path stars Zrinka Cvitesic, Leon Lucev, Nina Violic, Mirjana Karanovic
Produced by Coop99 filmproduktion (A), Deblokda Film (BIH), Pola Pandora (D), Ziva (HR)
World Sales: The Match Factory (Cologne)