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    Venice 2022 with
    VERA by Covi & Frimmel and
    EISMAYER by David Wagner

    Reality and fiction merge and collide in both Austrian entries at the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31 to September 10):
    • VERA by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel is invited to the Orizzonti Competition
    • EISMAYER, directorial debut by David Wagner, is  part of the Settimana della Critca selection
    : : : :

    Locarno 75:
    MATTER OUT OF PLACE
    wins Pardo Verde

    The first Pardo Verde WWF, a newly launched initiative by the Locarno IFF and the WWF for outstanding films tackling environmental issues, went to Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s stunning essay on our growing amounts of garbage.
     
    Ruth Mader’s SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE, also a contender of the Locarno 75 International Competition, took one of the Junior Jury Awards.

    Austrian films at international festivals

    Participations August 2022

    Austrian films on international screens

    Theatrical releases
    October 2016 – March 2022

    Award winners 2022

    Awards + Nominations
    starting in January 2022
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «You can't escape cinema in Rome.»

    Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
    Vera's father Giuliano Gemma is an Italian screen legend. He bestowed upon his daughters a childhood of glitz and glamour – but also the burden of fame. In Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel's new film VERA the protagonist is involved in a minor car accident in a suburb of Rome, and this brings about a collision between two contrasting realities of the city. Good-natured, generous and unworldly, Vera navigates these two worlds full of ambushes and traps… and despite all her doubts, she remains unwaveringly at one with herself.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «He became a kind of hardcore monster»

    David Wagner
    None of his colleagues in the Austrian Army could have even dreamt that Eismayer was concealing a double life behind his brutal rigour. The young soldiers under his command had nothing to laugh about. But when the recruit Mario Falak embarks upon his military service, Charles Eismayer's life – consisting of the military, an apparently ideal family and hidden homosexuality – begins to come apart. In his feature film debut EISMAYER David Wagner slowly lets the true and unusual love story take its course within the brittle structures of an army barracks.

    LOCARNO Reviews

    MATTER OUT OF PLACE
    mesmerizing and strangely beautiful
    Variety

    SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE
    a radical film, both violent and sensual
    Cineuropa

    Ulrich Seidl’s SPARTA in competition for Golden Shell

    The 70th San Sebastián IFF (September 16 to 24) has unveiled its competiton line-up including Ulrich Seidl’s SPARTA in the Golden Shell competition. SPARTA, with Austrian actor Georg Friedrich in the lead, completes Ulrich Seidl’s brother diptych; its first part RIMINI was a Golden Bear contender earlier this year.
     

    SARAJEVO 2022 with 3 Austrian films in competition

    Marie Kreutzer’s CORSAGE and Ruth Mader’s SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE, both released at top festivals this spring and summer, will also be vying for the Heart of Sarajevo. Thomas Fürhapter’s LIVING TOGETHER is a contender in the Documentary competion. Ulrich Seid’s Golden Bear entry RIMINI will be presented In Focus.

    Locarno 2022: Ruth Mader and Nikolaus Geyrhalter vying for Golden Leopard

    Two strong Austrian voices are to present their highly anticipated new films:
    MATTER OUT OF PLACE by Nikolaus Geyrhalter who provides stunning observations on waste on a global scale
    SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE by Ruth Mader who tackles the question of faith in her thriller set in an all-girl Catholic boarding school
     
    Both films are contenders of the Pardo d’oro International Competition
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «Garbage has never really disappeared.»

    Nikolaus Geyrhalter
    Garbage-free zones no longer exist on this planet. In MATTER OUT OF PLACE Nikolaus Geyrhalter makes this abundantly clear, also stressing that despite huge efforts to place it out of sight, garbage cannot be eliminated.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «Maybe God does exist after all?»

    Ruth Mader
    It is primarily the prestige of this elite establishment that prompts well-heeled parents to send their daughters to the 1980s Catholic boarding school which is the setting of Ruth Mader's thriller SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE. A deeper bond with God appears to be lacking among the parents and many members of the religious order as well. Except for one young nun. In her religious verve she sends a particularly sensitive girl on a dangerous path to God; they both become lost in the labyrinthine search for healing – but ultimately salvation from outside is their only hope.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «We depict an extreme manifestation of Catholicism.»

    A single location dominates Ruth Mader’s new film SERVIAM – I WILL SERVE: a Catholic girls’ boarding school for the daughters of wealthy families. The film is set in the 1980s, and money seems to count more than faith in this atmosphere, where girls-only schools were as natural a part of life as landline phones. One of the sisters takes her mission seriously and attempts to guide her pupils on a spiritual path – not necessarily to the benefit of their mental state. Ruth Mader filmed her thriller in association with epo-film during the 2021 summer vacation and has now begun postproduction work.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «We wanted to get to grips with heroism.»

    Leni Lauritsch
    Who should you save if you can’t be sure any longer what good it would do? The three crew members of the Rubikon space station know that the ecological disaster on Earth can’t be avoided. But when a tiny glimmer of hope emerges the three individuals, whose characters and motives for venturing into outer space could hardly be more different, find themselves in an impossible dilemma. Leni Laurisch has embarked upon a tricky mission with her sci-fi debut RUBIKON and staged a spacey chamber piece about survival.

    KARLOVY VARY 2022
    with eight films
    made in Austria


    Discover the fabulous Austrian presence at the 56th KARLOVY VARY IFF (July 1 to 9, 2022) kviff, with no less than seven feature length and one short film on the screens. A line-up including Leni Lauritsch’ Sci-Fi directorial debut RUBIKON that will make its first festival appearance between two major releases in the US and UK.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «We were promised a future that will not exist.»

    Clara Stern
    Being young could feel easier. From the family's winery and the forgetful grandfather to her role as captain of the ice hockey team, 20-year-old Mira has quite a lot of duty in her life. But there’s also the fear of not being equal to the expectations placed upon her, and grief for lost members of her family. In Clara Stern's debut BREAKING THE ICE it takes Mira a long time to see that although the ice is always hard when she slams against it despite her armour, it can thaw very quickly.

    Tribeca 2022 with newcomers Clara Stern and Peter Hengl

    Two Austrian directorial debuts are celebrating their world premiere at the Tribeca Festival 2022 (June 8 to 19): Clara Stern's BREAKING THE ICE in Viewpoints and Peter Hengl's FAMILY DINNER in Midnight:

    inaugurating the start of a promising career.
    Cineuropa on BREAKING THE ICE

    Another moody and unsettling Austrian chiller
    indiewire on FAMILY DINNER
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «A violation of a person's private sphere.»

    Peter Hengl
    When Simone arrives at the country cottage owned by her Aunt Claudia, the famous nutrition expert, she doesn’t exactly get a hearty welcome. The overweight teenager had been hoping to lose a few kilos over the Easter holidays, with Claudie’s expert guidance. But getting that sort of help from Claudia entails vows of renunciation and devotion, and there’s no escaping from the pact. Peter Hengl lets his debut horror feature film FAMILY DINNER simmer on a slow heat before serving up a truly gruesome banquet.

    LUX Audience Award goes to QUO VADIS, AIDA?

    Jasmila Žbanić' harrowing drama based on the tragedy of Srebrenica in July 1995 is the winner of the 2022 LUX European Audience Film Award. QUO VADIS, AIDA?  – a European co-production including nine countries – was co-produced by Vienna-based coop99 filmprodution with a major financial and creative input from Austria. Cannes-winner GREAT FREEDOM by Sebastian Meise was also among the three films selected for the final run of the LUX audience Award.

    Un Certain Regard:
    Best Performance Prize to
    Vicky Krieps


    Marie Kreutzer and her terrific leading actress Vicky Krieps have set Cannes abuzz. Vicky Krieps wins the Un Certain Regard BEST PERFORMANCE Prize for her outstanding work in the role Elisabeth from Austria in Marie Kreutzer’s CORSAGE. The filmwas also awarded for Best Creative Sound Design.
    DE – EN

    CORSAGE: rave reviews from the Croisette


    A playful and puckish portrait by Marie Kreutzer
    Screen Daily

    a standout
    Variety

    Krieps gives an exhilaratingly fierce, uningratiating performance.
    The Guardian

    Austrian films @Cannes 2022


    Un Certain Regard:
    CORSAGE by Marie Kreutzer.
    May 20 | 11:00 | Debussy

    Producers on the Move:
    JOHANNES SCHUBERT
    May 19 – 23

    Marché du Film – Frontières:
    REQUIEM FOR A ROBOT by Chris Rainer
    Proof of Concept on May 21
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «She becomes increasingly furious with her own image.»

    Marie Kreutzer
    Some historical sources put the figure at 45 cm. Apparently a tape measure would only have to be that long to completely encompass the waist of the Habsburg Empress Elizabeth. However, if the legendary beauty had difficulty breathing at the imperial court in Vienna it was due not only to her extremely tight-laced corset but also to the attitudes and conventions which permitted the Emperor’s wife no other function than to be a beautiful appendage at his side. Marie Kreutzer focuses on Elisabeth’s 40th birthday as a turning point which prompts her to withdraw gradually from this suffocating confinement. In CORSAGE she creates a portrait of a woman whose potential goes far beyond the limitations of the period.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «She was an influencer of the late 19th century.»

    The demands placed upon the Costume Department of CORSAGE were twofold in nature. Alongside the task of creating the gowns worn by Elisabeth and her entourage they also faced the perhaps greater challenge of creating efficient and wearable corsets to go underneath the fine material, to reproduce the astonishing waist measurements of the Habsburg empress. Interesting insights provided by Costume Designer Monika Buttinger.

    Marie Kreutzer’s CORSAGE at Cannes

    We’re so thrilled that Marie Kreutzer’s film is part of the prestigious Cannes Sélection Officielle and celebrates its world premiere at Un Certain Regard. CORSAGE, starring Vicky Krieps in the role of Austrian empress Elisabeth, was produced by Austrian Film AG in co-production with Samsa Film (LUX), Komplizen Film (D) and Kazak Productions (F). International sales are handled by: MK2

    BREAKING THE ICE and FAMILY DINNER at Tribeca

    Great news from NYC: Two Austrian directorial debuts will enter the festival scene at the Tribeca Film Festival (June 8 to 19): BREAKING THE ICE by Clara Stern in Viewpoints, Peter Hengl’s FAMILY DINNER has been selected a Midnight entry.

    GREAT FREEDOM and QUO VADIS, AIDA nominated for LUX Audience Award

    Two out of three films selected for the LUX Audience Award 2022 are Austrian co-productions: GREAT FREEDOM by Sebastian Meise and QUO VADIS, AIDA by Jasmila Žbanić. The prize established by the European Parliament as a sign for its commitment to culture is an international audience award. Film lovers from all over Europe are invited until May 25 to vote for their favourite.
     

    Two major Berlinale awards to SONNE and MUTZENBACHER

    We’re full of pride and joy: Kurdwin Ayub’s directorial debut SONNE wins the GFF Best First Feature Award. This films stands out among 18 first features selected throughout the different Berlinale sections, the prize is endowed with € 50,000.
    Ruth Beckermann is once again a Berlinale laureate. The winner of the Berlinale Documentary Award 2018,  takes the Best Film Award at the Encounters competition for her new documentary MUTZENBACHER.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «A deserted place like that has a special power.»

    Ulrich Seidl
    Richie Bravo has certainly enjoyed more glamorous times. Today he appears in small venues in the Italian seaside resort of Rimini during the winter, attempting to preserve something from the best days of his life as a singer of schlager, German easy-listening, sentimental pop songs. He is a restless spirit, constantly in motion, always a few steps ahead of himself, until suddenly the daughter he had almost forgotten appears in front of him. In RIMINI Ulrich Seidl presents a loose family group through three generations, evoking a sensation of time passing and transformations to the beat of middle-of-the-road sentimentality.
     

    Five world premieres at the 72nd Berlinale

    Five Austrian Films celebrated their worldpremiere, respectively in the Golden Bear competition, the Encounters competition and the Forum: RIMINI by Ulrich Seidl, SONNE by Kurdwin Ayub, MUTZENBACHER by Ruth Beckermann, A LITTLE LOVE PACKAGE by Gastón Solnicki, FOR THE MANY by Constantin Wulff.

    Directors and teams met the audience in cinemas and earned remarkable reviews by the international press. We've got an overview on this website

    MUTZENBACHER and FOR THE MANY nominated for Berlinale Documentary Award

    The two Austrian documentary entries at the 72nd Berlinale – MUTZENBACHER by Ruth Beckermann (Encounters) and FOR THE MANY – THE VIENNA CHAMBER OF LABOUR by Constantin Wulff (Forum) are among the 18 documentaries selected across all sections for the prestigious documentary award. With her prior documentary WALDHEIM’S WALTZ Ruth Beckermann won the Berlinale Documentary Award already in 2018.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «It’s high time that women took a close look at men.»

    Ruth Beckermann
    The novel Josefine Mutzenbacher[i], ostensibly a female perspective but in fact most probably a male fantasy from a less radiant fin de siècle Vienna, was first published anonymously in 1906 and banned until the 1960s. Today it has lost none of its ambivalent nature. In her film essay MUTZENBACHER Ruth Beckermann takes the opportunity to invite men of various ages to perch on a pink casting couch and engage in an exchange of ideas on sexuality and taboo, inspired by passages in the outlawed classic dating back over a century.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «Getting right away from the cliché of the girl in a headscarf»

    Kurdwin Ayub
    How are you supposed to belong anywhere if you are born in one country and grow up in another, if one culture is dominant in the family and another at school? If a particular look is all the rage on digital channels this week but a different one next week, and if you record a video with girlfriends that goes viral only to discover that this suddenly drives a wedge between you? In her feature film debut SUN Kurdwin Ayub follows three 17-year-olds through the chaos of our time.
    INTERVIEW
    DE – EN

    «A confrontation with reality»

    Constantin Wulff
    The Chamber of Labour is a unique feature of Austrian life. Financed by contributions from the workforce, this independent institution has been representing workers’ rights and interests for the last 100 years. Constantin Wulff has dedicated his new documentary film FOR THE MANY to the Viennese headquarters of this organisation.
    INTERVIEW

    «It is like Cinecittà.»

    Gastón Solnicki
    Gastón Solnicki has a particular faible for Vienna, its sounds and its layers. In the first images of A LITTLE LOVE PACKAGE he has captured for posterity the last hours when it was still permitted to enjoy a cigarette with one’s melange in a Viennese café. And in a city where the vanished past never entirely dissolves, the Argentinian filmmaker begins his story together with two women, one of whom intends to settle in Vienna. Just as the search for an apartment in Vienna develops into an associative voyage, A LITTLE LOVE PACKAGE becomes an essay on remaining and passing by.
     

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