ORF premiere of the tenth film in the ORF/ZDF successful series on January 4th at 8:15 p.m
Vienna (OTS) – The Mozarteum, the Chapter Schwemme, the Marionette Theater, the Mönchsberg and other picturesque places in and around Salzburg are the setting for the tenth crime thriller in the ORF/ZDF successful series “The Dead of Salzburg”. “Sweet Gift” and the famous marzipan balls of the city of Mozart pose a mystery to Michael Fitz, Fanny Krausz and Erwin Steinhauer on Thursday, January 4th, 2024, in the anniversary episode of the same name, which is all about independent gas supplies, biogas and the energy transition. The supporting roles are again top-cast, including Karl Fischer, Johannes Zirner, Nathalie O’Hara, Nikolaus Barton, Helmut Bohatsch, Paula Siebert, Sebastian Edtbauer, Michael Schönborn, Susanne Czepl, Julia Koch, Wolfgang Oliver, Anna Maria Sturm and Ferdinand Seebacher . The script was written by Peter Koller and directed again by Erhard Riedlsperger. The anniversary case was filmed in spring 2023.
Director Erhard Riedlsperger: “‘Sweet Gift’ has a lot to offer”
“When we shot the first ‘The Dead of Salzburg’ film in 2015, we could only dream of nine more parts. The actual basic idea was to shoot a crime thriller in Salzburg, in which the city and the surrounding area are a central part of the stories.” And further: “‘Süßes Gift’ has a lot to offer – a congenial Austrian-Bavarian team of investigators who do strange business with biogas, Azerbaijani spies in the puppet theater, a paint bomb that makes life difficult for Chief Inspector Mur, and an alcohol problem for the President of the Salzburg State Parliament, which Hofrat Seywald is trying to get under control. It’s about the explosive topic of energy supply and even more attention than usual was paid to the humor factor. Very important – the cast is impressive: Who has Erwin Steinhauer, Fanny Krausz, Michael Fitz, Karl Fischer, Julia Koch, Johannes Zirner and many other great actors together in a television film?”
Michael Fitz: “a great pleasure and a gift”
“I have a lot of fond memories of interesting subjects and days of filming over the last ten years, e.g. B. the filming in the zoo in Salzburg or in the mine in Bad Gastein. Salzburg and its surrounding area are rich in wonderful motifs. I was able to work with many great colleagues, whether they were there for just one episode or continuously. Above all, of course, the ‘core team’, my investigator colleagues Fanny Krausz, Erwin Steinhauer, Sebastian Edtbauer and Nikolaus Barton. It is always a great pleasure and a gift to work with them. As the only German surrounded by Austrians who can then make fun of them, it’s a privilege for me.” About the anniversary film: “‘Sweet Gift’ is again an extremely exciting case that is primarily about corrupt people and politicians and entrepreneurs involved in major projects – unfortunately always topical – but in the end it takes a completely different, very human turn.
More about the content
A storm of flashbulbs in the Hotel Menuett in Salzburg. The Bavarian Energy Minister Wittmann (Johannes Zirner) and the Salzburg State Parliament President Zirner (Susanne Czepl-Zrost) announce the energy transition: biogas at a press conference. The busy entrepreneur Nussbaumer (Karl Fischer) is supposed to drive this forward with his new biogas plant. In the audience: Chief Inspector Mur (Michael Fitz), as undercover personal security for Wittmann, Hofrat Seywald (Erwin Steinhauer), an old school friend of Nussbaumer, and his husband Rene (Michael Schönborn). They are quickly called to the scene when Wittmann’s chauffeur falls dead out of the limousine in front of everyone present. Poisoned! Murder out of jealousy? Or was Energy Minister Wittmann the actual target? Irene Russmeyer (Fanny Krausz) from the Salzburg police and the Bavarian chief inspector Mur do not agree at all. The trail leads them to an explosive opponent of private energy supply, to the Salzburg Marionette Theater and to an Azerbaijani gas prince named Gorkinski. A dangerous, political plot, mixed with explosive private motives, is becoming increasingly clear and demands everything from the investigators.
“The Dead of Salzburg” is a production by Satel Film in collaboration with ORF and ZDF, supported by Fernsehenfonds Austria, the state of Salzburg and the city of Salzburg.