ORF co-financed films on TV: Thomas Roth historical drama “Schächten” on February 4th; Successful comedy “Greece” with Thomas Stipsits on February 28th on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – With “Rickerl – Music is at most a Hobby”, “Persona Non Grata”, “15 Years” and “The Klezmer Project”, the Austrian film shows early on that the cinema year 2024 has a lot to offer after the successful last year – and with “Stillstand” (from February 9th), “Stella. One life.” (from February 16th) and “Andrea gets divorced” (from February 23rd) continue. ORF 2 is now bringing the cinema to home screens in two premieres with two feature films co-financed by ORF: In the historical drama “Schächten” with Jeff Wilbusch, Paulus Manker, Miriam Fussenegger, Georg Friedrich and Julia Stemberger, among others, Thomas Roth tells the story on Sunday, April 4th February, at 11:05 p.m. on ORF 2 the story of a Jewish entrepreneur’s son from Vienna who took the law into his own hands in the 1960s in order to ensure that, after his acquittal, the Nazi tormentor who had caused unspeakable suffering 20 years earlier was punished brought upon his family – and continues to bring it. In the most successful Austrian film of the previous year, Thomas Stipsits, directed by Claudia Jüptner-Jonstorff and Eva Spreitzhofer, is heading to “Greece” on Wednesday, February 28th at 8:15 p.m. on ORF 2. Other roles include Katharina Straßer, Claudia Kottal, Erwin Steinhauer, Mona Seefried, Gery Seidl, Margarethe Tiesel, Andreas Vitásek and Kostas Antalopoulos.
In the meantime, work is already underway on new projects for the big screen: At the first meeting of the joint commission in 2024, the ORF made a significant financial contribution totaling around three million euros for eight new film productions as part of the film/television agreement – including four feature films, three documentaries and one animated film – confirmed. The ORF is thus fulfilling its commitment to Austrian cinema with an annual investment volume of eight million euros for the production of Austrian cinema productions.
Based on her titular character “Mila/Marija”, Andrina Mracnikar talks about the partisans’ resistance to the terror of National Socialism in Carinthia. This is the first time that a feature film deals with this important piece of Austrian contemporary history. Adrian Goiginger’s new feature film “Four Minus Three” takes up the true life story of Barbara Pachl-Eberhart, who had to cope with the death of her two children and her husband after a car accident. As “Pirker”, Simon Schwarz will investigate in Carinthia in a new crime comedy by Marcus H. Rosenmüller, and Josef Hader will have to deal with reawakened corpses in the horror comedy “Body Farm” by Manuel Johns and Michael Fuith. In her animated film for children “Rain Dream” Ani Antonova takes Hristova into the world of little raindrops. In their new documentary “No Place For Johnny B. Goode,” Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel accompany blues musician Al Cook in his search for new happiness and on a journey into the past. In “Who Cares” Ina Ivanceanu sheds light on questions surrounding mostly unpaid care work. In her very personal documentary film “Marienhof”, Nina Kusturica tells the story of origins, belonging, borders and changes in Europe around the sale of an apartment.
The projects co-financed by ORF at the 196th meeting of the Joint Commission of ORF and the Austrian Film Institute in detail:
Mila/Maria
Feature film/drama
Buch & Regie: Andrina Mracnikar
Production: Amour Fou
A mountain village in Carinthia, 1943. 19-year-old Mila joins the partisans who resist the National Socialists in the protection of the forests. Soon she is leading her own unit and is faced with life and death decisions. When she begins a new life after her liberation, Mila is once again faced with the question: submission or resistance?
Four minus three
Feature film/drama
Buch: Senad Halilbasic
Directed by: Adrian Goiginger
Production: 2010 Entertainment GmbH
Barbara is a clinic clown, her husband is a stage clown, living in modest circumstances. When Barbara loses her entire family in an accident one day, she decides to grieve differently than is expected of her. Namely as a clown who does everything exactly the opposite of what would be appropriate. A film about love, loss and the possibilities and limits of art, based on true events.
Pickers
Feature film/coming of age
Book: Christiane Kalls
Director: Marcus H. Rosenmüller
Production: Allegro Filmproduktions GmbH
A criminal police officer who likes to get in the way of his own happiness takes up a new position at the LKA Klagenfurt. He must assert himself within his team and catch a pseudo-spiritual serial killer while trying to win back the love of his life.
Body Farm
Feature film/horror comedy
Book & Director: Manuel Johns, Michael Fuith
Production: Film AG
In a forensic research facility in the forest, a slime mold infects the corpses stored there – and brings them back to life.
Rain dream
Animated film
Buch & Director: Ani Antonova Hristova
Welcome to the world of rain, clouds, storms, typhoons and hurricanes! Roy, Tropfia, Donnie-Donner and Tormenta are four little raindrops about to start their first day of school. At school they will learn to paint with cloud yeast. However, her dream is to get to Earth to practice raining and meet real people. The four friends embark on an adventurous journey. After all, what could go wrong except good, sunny weather?
No room for Johnny B. Goode
Documentary film
Buch: Tizza Covi
Director: Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
When Viennese blues musician Al Cook learns that his apartment and his beloved rehearsal studio will be demolished, his world collapses. Where to put his piano, all the guitars and the shellac collection? In search of new happiness, he sets off on a journey into his past across Vienna.
Who Cares
Documentary film
Book & Director: Ina Ivanceanu
Production: Amour Fou
Is it love or unpaid work? Side by side with the feminist thinker and activist Silvia Federici, who is caring for her partner George in New York, and with her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in Vienna, the filmmaker sets out to find solutions for her personal and social care -Challenges. A film that gives courage.
Marienhof
Documentary film
Book: Director: Nina Kusturica
Production: Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion GmbH
“Marienhof” tells of personal experiences in the context of historical events through the process of selling a family apartment in Sarajevo. The film follows three women, from three generations, in ventures surrounding the (im)possible sale of an apartment, rearranging the family history and organizing the mother’s life as a senior citizen in Vienna.