The 74^th Locarno Festival (August 4 to 14) has announced its selection that includes two new films from Austria. Stefan Ruzowitzky will present HINTERLAND on the Piazza Grande, Peter Brunner’s LUZIFER is a contender in the main competition for the Pardo d’oro 2021. The Swiss, German and Austrian co-production MONTE VERITÀ will also celebrate its world premiere on the Piazza Grande.

Johannes lives with his deeply religious mother in an Alpine hut surrounded by nature, close to God but far from the despised people down in the valley. A young man with the mind of a child, he can barely master the spoken word and is unconditionally tied to his mother, who has attempted to protect him by defining the world in simple terms as consisting of God and the forces of evil. Peter Brunner is a filmmaker who explores in images the rifts within his characters. In LUZIFER he brings about a collision between fanaticism and freedom which is a depiction of blind faith and its misunderstandings. LUZIFER, featuring Franz Rogowski and Susanne Jensen in the main roles, has been made by Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion.

Peter Brunner’s new film LUZIFER wins the Boccalino d’oro for Best Director at the 74^th Locarno Film Festival. The Boccalino d’oro is an award given away by the Independent Critics Jury in five categories. LUZIFER starring Franz Rogowski and Susanne Jensen was produced by Vienna-based Ulrich Seidl Film Production.

The most renowned US genre film festival in Austin/Texas, the Fantastic Fest (Sept 23 to 30) has bestowed the Best Actor Award on Franz Rogowski for his outstanding performances in two competition entries:  LUZIFER by Peter Brunner and FREAKS OUT  by Gabriele Mainetti. In LUZIFER Rogowski plays a young man, barely mastering the spoken word, who lives in the mountains closely tied to his mother and in a very tight relationship to nature.

The Sitges Fantastic Film Festival (oct. 7-17) honors the two leading actors of Peter Brunner's LUZIFER: Susanne Jensen and Frank Rogowski won the awards for Best Female Performance and Best Male Performance at one of the world's foremost fantasy and horror film festivals.