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    Sundance 2020:  a direct hit into the epicenter

    EPICENTRO, the new documentary by Hubert Sauper, has been selected to be part of the World Cinema Documentary Competition by the 2020 Sundance Festival (January 23 to February 2). ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENEZUELA by Anabel Rodríguez Ríos, produced by Austrian producer Sepp R. Brudermann as a co-production between Vene-zuela, the UK, Brazil and Austria, is also among the 12 entries of the  Sundance documentary contest.
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    92nd Academy Awards: Sudabeh Mortezai’s JOY disqualified

    Two months after the submission of JOY as Austria’s entry for the International Feature Competition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences informed the Austrian selection committee that Sudabeh Mortezai’s film is ineligible because its dialogue is predominantly in English. The Austrian committee has protested.

    Austrian films at international festivals

    Participations October - December 2019

    Austrian films on international screens

    Theatrical releases
    October 2016 – November 2019

    IDFA 2019 with EARTH and MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    As the festival year draws to a close, the IDFA showcases two of the most successful Austrian documentaries of the year: EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Masters) and MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN by Sebastian Brameshuber (Best of Fests). The German-Austrian co-productions HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME by Thomas Heise (Masters) and BORN IN EVIN by Maryam Zaree’s (Best of Fests) are also on the Amsterdam program.
    INTERVIEW
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    «The Modified Landscape»

    Julia Gutweniger, Florian Kofler
    The first things that caught the eye of filmmakers Julia Gutweniger and Florian Kofler were strange-looking walls in the Alpine landscape. On closer examination they turned out to be part of an extensive safety infrastructure which has been developed to provide protection from landslides, avalanches and snowfalls throughout the Alpine region. There is no commentary, and a (sometimes wry) distance is maintained, as SAFETY123 investigates the assiduous human striving to provide us with sound protection against acts of God.

    Awards to ANGELO and LILLIAN at Ljublijana and Gijon

    ANGELO by Markus Schleinzer wins a Kingfisher Award – Special Mention at the LJUBLJANA International Film Festival, LILLIAN by Andreas Horvath bags the Youth Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the GIJÓN International Film Festival.

    Special Mentions to EARTH and SPACE DOGS

    EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter receives a Special Mention at the L’Alternativa festival in Barcelona, SPACE DOGS by Elsa Kremser & Levin Peter a Special Mention from the jury of the New Waves program for non-fiction films at the Festival de Cine Europeo in Sevilla.

    MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN wins 3sat-Dokumentarfilmpreis

    A mountain in motion ... Only a few days after winning the jury's Special Prize of the Vienna Film Award at the Viennale, MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN by Sebastian Brameshuber receives the 3sat-Dokumentarfilmpreis at the 43rd Duisburger Filmwoche.

    LILLIAN: Best Film + FIPRESCI at the Minsk IFF Listapad

    Two more awards for Andreas Horvath's feature debut LILLIAN: The Quinzaine des Réalisateurs entry took the Victor Turov Memorial Award for Best Film and the FIPRESCI Award at the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad.
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    Good-bye, Gustav Deutsch

    We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Gustav Deutsch who, in SHIRLEY – VISIONS OF REALITY, captivated us with his cinematic encounters with painting. The moving and the stationary image, the damaged as well as the intact and both the professional views and those of amateurs were all subject to the exploratory spirit and regard of this artist and thinker, who imparted the certainty that film is more than film.

    DOK Leipzig awards to ROBOLOVE and SAFETY123

    DOK Leipzig honors thought-provoking visions from Austrian filmmakers:  ROBOLOVE by Maria Arlamovsky receives the Gedanken Aufschluss Prize, awarded by a jury of young prisoners of the Juvenile Penitentiary Regis-Breitlingen. The Austrian-Italian co-production SAFETY123 by Julia Gutweniger and Florian Kofler wins the Golden Dove in the Next Masters Competition.

    Focus on Jessica Hausner at the Lincoln Center

    On December 6, Jessica Hausner’s LITTLE JOE will be released in the US by Magnolia Pictures. A good reason for New York’s Lincoln Center to focus on the complete works of the Viennese ”Miracle Worker“ (as the LC entitles the program), showcasing her five feature films, two shorts and an installation from November 8 to 10, 2019.

    Filmuforia: «ROBOLOVE is a frightening documentary»

    «ROBOLOVE, with its stunning images by Sebastian Arlamovsky, is a frightening documentary: do we really want our future in the hands of these technocratic scientists, who at best will replicate the contradictions of human life today?» Read more of Meredith Taylor's ROBOLOVE review on Filmuforia
    INTERVIEW
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    «We’re not nearly as exciting and individual as we like to think.»

    Maria Arlamovsky
    The fear that our working world and love life could soon be overrun by humanoid machines is matched only by our fascination with the people attempting to program their artificial replicas and overcome the limitations of physical existence. Maria Arlamovsky has once again embarked upon a voyage towards our future. In ROBOLOVE she examines the ambitions and limitations in research and development – and poses the question of why all the prototypes are female, pretty and friendly.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «In Romania the royal family fills a vacuum.»

    Johannes Holzhausen
    The daughter of the last King of Romania holds court in Bucharest and travels around the country in a royal train to demonstrate the bond between her and the people. The current government permits this without legitimising it. Johannes Holzhausen's THE ROYAL TRAIN accompanies a princess without portfolio on her quest: employing stage-managed pomp, she hopes to restore a chapter in Romanian history which came to an end after World War II.

    Haifa hands over a Golden Anchor to LILLIAN

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN wins the Golden Anchor Award for Best International Debut Film at the 35th HAIFA Film Festival for ... “An original, daring journey film through the declining U.S. landscape. Using minimal dialogue, the film succeeds in bringing a different, compassionate and cruel point of view of the people and places that the heroine passes through on her journey. An oustanding cinematic achievement by any measure.”

    APA World Excellence Award to Gabriele Kranzelbinder

    Gabriele Kranzelbinder has been honored with the APA World Excellence Award at the Jihlava Documentary Festival. She is the first to receive this award created by the Audiovisual Producers´ Association in the Czech Republic to honor a producer successfully supporting creative documentary filmmaking. KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Productions has (co-)produced documentaries by Hubert Sauper, Sebastian Brameshuber, Elisabeth Scharang and many more.

    WELCOME TO SODOM – Best Environmental Film

    WELCOME TO SODOM keeps on travelling around the globe. Poindimié in New Caledonia recently hosted the unsettling documentary by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes and pointed it out as Best Environmental Film of the festival program.

    THE ROYAL TRAIN and ROBOLOVE at DOK Leipzig

    Not only are they contenders in the Leipzig International Competition: THE ROYAL TRAIN by Johannes Holzhausen and ROBOLOVE by Maria Arlamovsky are two movements into opposite directions, taking us either into the past or towards the future, both of them raising fundamental questions over reality. Also premiering at DOK Leipzig is THE FEVER by Katharina Weingartner.

    Zürich awards ONCE WERE REBELS and LILLIAN

    Only a few days after its world premiere, Johanna Moder’s second feature film ONCE WERE REBELS wins the Zürich Ecumenical Award. Andreas Horvath's LILLIAN, also a contender in the Focus Compettion, returns from Zürich with a special mention.
    INTERVIEW
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    «Suppress, suppress, suppress!»

    Johanna Moder
    There is no escaping normality. In ONCE WERE REBELS Johanna Moder takes a subtle look at the process by which even the beautiful lives of urbane people in their mid-30s are infiltrated by petty bourgeois attitudes. Her second feature film is another witty portrait of her own generation, struggling doggedly for alternative lifestyles as well as optimal versions of themselves… only to end up creating selves which are crippled by insufficiencies.

    Political Award to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    “A film that makes you happy”, wrote the jury of the Political Award about their choice to give the prize to Sebastian Brameshuber’s MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN at the Hamburg Filmfest. The award, sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, comes with a cheque for € 5,000.

    Jessica Hausner and Sudabeh Mortezai part of the London FF juries

    The BFI LONDON Film Festival listens to two Austrian voices in the juries: Jessica Hausner will preside over the jury of First Feature Competition, giving away the Sutherland Award. Sudabeh Mortezai, winner of the Best Film Award 2018 for Joy, has been invited to join the official competition jury to decide on the most outstanding film of this year’s main competition. 

    «... slyly profound and oddly entertaining»

    Views from Toronto: NOBADI reveals itself to be a work both slyly profound and oddly entertaining, challenging assumptions right up until the final frame, wrote Redmond Bacon in his review on Goomba Stomp. And there is still more.

    Zürich FF 2019 with Johanna Moder's ONCE WERE REBELS

    There’s no escape to normality. Once again, Johanna Moder draws a witty portrait of her own generation, who fail to conciliate a cosmopolitan outlook with narcissistic needs. ONCE WERE REBELS has been selected for the FOCUS Competition, together with LILLIAN and SEA OF SHADOWS, two additional Austrian contenders. Marie Kreutzer (The Ground Beneath My Feet) is part of the FOCUS Competition jury

    Grand Prix to THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET at Salé Women’s FF

    Marie Kreutzer’s Golden Bear contender THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET sweeps in two major awards at the Salé Women’s Film Festival, taking home the Grand Prix and the Best Screenplay Award.

    Camden Harrell Award to EARTH

    EARTH keeps revolving successfully around the globe: The 15th Camden International FF honors Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH with the 2019 Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature "for capturing a rare and epic sense of scope and scale that demonstrates the magnitude of mankind’s imprint on the earth"

    Best Actress Award to LILLIAN

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN – Patrycja Planik – wins the Seymour Cassel Award für Best Female Performance at the Oldenburg Filmfest.

    Open City Award to MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN

    The London Open City Festival hands its Open City Award 2019 to Sebastian Brameshuber’s Cinéma du Réel-winner MOVEMENTS OF A NEARBY MOUNTAIN. About their choice, the jury said that the winning film exemplifies an assured coming together of form and content to craft an intimate portrait of a character whose daily life illuminates a global conversation about labour, movement and capitalism.
    INTERVIEW
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    «The point is to act in the present.»

    Karl Markovics
    The world is a small place for old Herr Senft in his little garden house, and now that he has lost his dog and last companion, it's a solitary existence as well. Chance brings a young Afghan into his house, and in just a few hours it is transformed for both men into the cave of the Cyclops, with no escape for either. NOBADI, Karl Markovics's darkest story to date, focusses on the fragility of identity, the legacy of failure to act and the chances of the present moment.

    Toronto 2019: World premiere of NOBADI by Karl Markovics

    An old man and a young refugee – they couldn’t have less in common – meet by pure chance and get inextricably tied together. In his third feature film, his darkest one to date, Karl Markovics explores the fatal connections between identity and existence. NOBADI will make its first appearance on screen at  the 44th TORONTO IFF, celebrating its world premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema section.

    With JOY into the Oscar race

    The Austrian Oscar committee has selected JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai as Austria’s submission to the Oscar-nominations in the International Feature Film category.
    DE – EN

    FAZ on SPACE DOGS: «An enlightening cinematic essay ...

    ...that overtopped the Locarno competition 'Cineasti del presente'“, wrote Michael Ranze of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on the directorial debut from Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter. Film Comment’s Jessica Green stated, „It’s like a dog version of Grizzly Man. Brutal but also deeply sensitive – a complex work that got under my skin.“ Read more press quotes.
    INTERVIEW
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    «A dog’s heart. A dog’s soul.»

    Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter
    Laika, the world's most famous dog astronaut, was a child of the Moscow streets. She did not survive her mission in the space capsule, but perhaps her spirit returned to our world: perhaps her descendants still roam the streets of the Russian capital to this day. Filmmakers Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter joined up with a pack of stray dogs in order to see Moscow at night through their eyes.

    LITTLE JOE and JOY in the race for EFA

    The European Film Academy has announced a list of 46 feature films eligible for European Film Awards 2019, including two outstanding works from Austrian female directors: JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai and LITTLE JOE by Jessica Hausner. Nominations will be unveiled at the Sevilla FF on November 9. The Austrian-German co-production HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME is one of the 12 selected films running for Best European Documentary 2019.

    Two awards to LILLIAN at the Orenburg East & West festival

    Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN, Directors’ Fortnight entry 2019, garners the Best Director Award as well as the prize from Yar (the festival’s general sponsor) for aesthetic and masterful depiction of human emotions in cinematography.

    Krakow Grand Prix to WELCOME TO SODOM

    One and a half years after its world premiere at CPH:DOX 2018, the gripping documentary by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes keeps travelling around the globe, affecting juries and audiences alike. WELCOME TO SODOM took the Grand Prix 2019 as well as  the Audience Award at the Krakow Green Film Festival.

    Best Green Dox Award to EARTH

    The DOKUFEST at the Kosovar city of Prizren honors Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH with the BEST GREEN DOX Award. „A strong philosophical statement about human nature“, points out the jury.

    Variety: «An auspicious calling card for Vollrath»

    Patrick Vollrath has delivered on his promise of his Oscar-nominated short Everything Will Be Okay with his first feature-length title "7500" – which premiered at Locarno’s  Piazza Grande: «an undeniably visceral, well-executed debut feature, wrote Allan Hunter of Screen International. REad more of the Locarno reviews

    Locarno 2019: SPACE DOGS in Cineasti del Presente

    In their directorial debut Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter joined up with a pack of stray dogs in Moscow in order to discover the city through their eyes. In remembrance of the famous dog astronaut Laika, they interweave the wild lives of their animal protagonists with impressive archive footage from the space race in the 1960s. Patrick Vollrath's 7500, a German-Austrian co-production, will screen on the Piazza Grande.

    Sheffield International Award to Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s EARTH

    «In a remarkable way, the sheer scale and ambition of this project is matched by its humility towards its subject and subjects“, stated the jury of the newly created International Award intended to honor a new international non-fiction film challenging global perspectives. EARTH by Nikolaus Geyrhalter is the first winner of the Sheffield International Award.»

    Cannes 2019: Best Actress Award to Emily Beecham

    A red flower that makes people feel happy, a palm that makes us even more than happy!
    Emily Beecham who plays the lead character in Jessica Hausner’s LITTLE JOE wins the Best Actress award at the 72nd Cannes festival for her subtle and nuanced interpretation of Alice, a high-talented genetic engineer and loving single-mum of a 12-year-old boy.

    Best Feature Awards to L’ANIMALE and NEVRLAND

    Two Best Feature-Awards to Austrian movies on one weekend: The Mostra FIRE Barcelona has honored L'ANIMALE, by Katharina Mückstein with the FIRE!! Team Award for Best Feature Film. The TEL AVIV International LGBT Festival has picked NEVRLAND by Gregor Schmidinger as Best Narrative Feature.

    NYT on LITTLE JOE:  «a mordant, amusing movie»

    Thomas Sotinel of Le Monde wrote on LITTLE JOE: ... This does not prevent this virtuoso film from being irrefutably modern, from putting the sacrilegious audacity of science at the service of the most corrosive satire and the most vertiginous existential questions. More reviews

    LILLIAN: «A fascinating walk through a mysterious land.»

    The Austrian photographer and director combines his knowledge of the American Midwest and the Yukon in an enigmatic road movie — never was a term more descriptive — that is at once a portrait of female spirit and determination and a reflection on the loneliness at the heart of America today, wrote Deborah Young of THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. more reviews

    KAVIAR at Sydney's Europe! Voices of Women in Film

    Launched by the European Film Promotion in 2016 EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN IN FILM showcases ten European films by female directors at Australia’s premier international film festival. KAVIAR by Elena Tikhonova is part of this selection.

    JOY on Netflix

    JOY worldwide: As of May 24, 2019  Sudabeh Mortezai’s acclaimed second feature film JOY is available for the international audience all around the globe on Netflix . The only territories excepted are Austria and South Tyrol.
    INTERVIEW
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    «Sparkling and strange...»

    Jessica Hausner
    Alice’s son Joe satisfies her maternal needs, and in her career she has also achieved tangible success: the flower she has genetically engineered, Little Joe, is a beautiful sight which promises to bring happiness to everyone around it. But suddenly things seem to turn against Alice in almost indefinable ways. In her fifth feature film, LITTLE JOE, Jessica Hausner unleashes the forces of cinema only to have them combine in virtuoso fashion, creating on film a homage to doubt.
    INTERVIEW
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    «A de-accelerated road movie»

    Andreas Horvath
    When her attempt to establish herself in New York fails, Lillian resolves to head back home to Russia. She sets off west on foot, crossing the American mainland to the Bering Strait, where Russia and the USA almost physically touch and where the dividing line between two days is drawn. Andreas Horvath’s LILLIAN traverses the layers of the continent as it follows the trail of a lonely wanderer in a road movie which appears to transcend forwards and backwards motion.

    Red carpet for a red lily: World premiere of LITTLE JOE in Cannes

    Jessica Hausner, a Cannes invitee since 1999, tops her performance at the Croisette with her first entry to the Palme d’or-competition and her first English-language film LITTLE JOE. Alice, a high-talented genetic engineer, has created a crimson flower of stunning beauty, but also inexplicable powers. A coop99 production with The Bureau (UK) and Essential Films (D) starring Emily Beecham, Ben Wishaw, Kerry Fox.
    INTERVIEW
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    «Jumping straight into the non-mundane.»

    Martin Monk
    Martin Monk wondered how far he could go with a road movie in short film format – and resolved to confront the clear formal challenge. In FAVOURITES he tells the story of an accidental encounter between a 17-year-old girl hitchhiker and a car driver who could be her father, a brief interaction between two generations and their unanswered questions about life. In fact the project has taken the student of directing at the Vienna Film Academy a long way: he has been awarded a place in the Cinéfondation series, the section for young talent at the Cannes Film Festival.

    Cannes 2019: Quinzaine des réalisateurs with LILLIAN by Andreas Horvath

    The 51st edition of the Cannes parallel section will host the world premiere of Andreas Horvath's LILLIAN, a road movie that goes straigth across the USA into the cold of Alaska.

    Cinema Planeta awards WELCOME TO SODOM

    WELCOME TO SODOM by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes is the winner of the Youth Award at the Cinema Planeta festival in the Mexican city of Cuernavaca.

    FREE LUNCH SOCIETY
    nominated for
    Cinéma Positif Award

    The Festival du Cinéma Positif, taking place during the Cannes festival for the 4th time, has selected FREE LUNCH SOCIETY by Christian Tod among the ten documentaries vying for the Cinéma Positif Award. The 2019 selection focusses on the theme of social justice, prizes will be awarded in three categories: fiction, documentary and first feature film on May 23rd.

    THE BORDER FENCE awarded in Munich and Trento

    Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s clairvoyant essay about borders, portraying residents living close to the Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy has garnered the Jury Prize at the Trento Festival and the VIKTOR DOK.deutsch Award at the DOK.fest München.

    Filmkunstfest Schwerin awards THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET

    Marie Kreutzer’s Berlinale competition entry is heading on solid grounds. THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET  garnered two awards at the 29th Filmkunstfest Schwerin: the NDR Regiepreis and the Prize for Best Young Actress to Valerie Pachner.
    INTERVIEW
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    «The first issue that struck me was that of invisibility.»

    Nathalie Borgers
    For her documentary film THE REMAINS – AFTER THE ODYSSEY, Nathalie Borgers proceeds from the statistics on refugees attempting to reach Europe and adds an individual, human dimension to the sober facts and figures. In her film, shot on Lesbos and in Vienna, she investigates the visible and invisible traces left by attempts to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing – on the coastlines, in the survivors and in those who provide what humanitarian help they can in exceptional circumstances.

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