Second joint country crime film appearance by the leading actor, director and screenwriter in Vorarlberg with Julia Koch at 8.15 p.m
Vienna (OTS) – Rooster, cat, dog and “The Silence of the Donkeys”: What does a mysterious series of murders have to do with the story of the Bremen Town Musicians? Karl Markovics and Julia Koch will ask themselves this question on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 8:15 p.m. on ORF 1, when the duo is on the second – so to speak – joint investigative mission at the third stop of the popular ORF rural crime series in Vorarlberg. In addition to Karl Markovics as the false, imprisoned inspector and the village police officer played by Julia Koch, other roles include Gerhard Liebmann, Valentin Sottopietra, Klaus Windisch, Tobias Fend, Julian Sark and Caroline Frank as well as Stefan Pohl again. Karl Markovics was not only the main actor, but also the screenwriter (based on motifs and characters by Daniel Kehlmann) and director behind the camera. The feature film, co-produced by ORF and ARTE and made by Superfilm with the support of the state of Vorarlberg, was shot in May and June 2022 in Hittisau, Bregenz and Wolfurt, among others. Even before it was broadcast on TV, “The Silence of the Donkeys” was a success at the German TV Crime Festival 2023. The ORF country crime thriller was awarded the renowned main prize at the festival in Wiesbaden. Julia Koch also received the special award for Best Actress for her role as village police officer Sophie Landner.
Karl Markovics: “Show as much of Vorarlberg as possible”
“It was clear that we wanted to show as much of Vorarlberg as possible in this country crime thriller. We have the nice, the friendly, the cozy, the homely Vorarlberg – and also the scary Vorarlberg. I have the feeling it’s an interesting mix of how someone who isn’t from there imagines Vorarlberg and what it’s really like. We were also very honest when dealing with the language, all Vorarlberg roles are played by Vorarlberg actors and we tried to keep the dialogues in such a way that they are really ‘Gsibergian’. I enjoyed going there the second time more than the first because I saw so many different things.”
Julia Koch: “Between realism and fairy tales”
“’The Silence of the Donkeys’ falls completely outside the classic crime genre. Viewers can look forward to a fantastic and exciting journey through Vorarlberg. Just as the rural crime novel oscillates between realism and fairy tales, Inspector Sophie Landner also navigates between two worlds – both feet firmly on rural soil, but she still has a keen sense of the extraordinary, especially for Jonas Horak. Full of longing to be able to outgrow everyday police life, she doesn’t let the prison director or her police colleague stop her from solving the mystery of the story.
More about the content
A series of strange murders alarms the false inspector Jonas Horak (Karl Markovics): he summons Sophie Landner (Julia Koch), who arrested him, to the prison. There is a serial criminal at work here who is targeting him. She has to find the donkey, because all the murders so far have had to do with the story of the Bremen Town Musicians. As absurd as Horak’s logic seems at first glance, Landner increasingly has to realize that the matter needs to be taken seriously. Deadly serious.
“The Silence of the Donkeys” is a production by ORF and ARTE, made by Superfilm with the support of the state of Vorarlberg.
sequel follows
From east to west across Austria and beyond the country’s borders, 30 country crime dramas have already celebrated their ORF premieres since 2014. The Vorarlberg film “The Silence of the Donkeys” is the next film in the ORF successful series on January 9, 2024. Further rural thriller excitement has already been ensured: In addition to “Dark Water” (Salzburg) – which can be seen on January 30th at 8:15 p.m. on ORF 1 – it has been filmed and is expected to be on air in 2024. “Until the soul is cold for me” (Carinthia ), “Steirergift” and “Steirermord” (Styria), “To New Shores” (Upper Austria), “The Dead Man in the Gorge” (Tyrol) and “Snow of Yesterday,” the first country crime thriller from East Tyrol.