Uli Brée’s new ORF series with, among others, Ursula Strauss, Simon Schwarz and Claudia Kottal on ORF ON and in the ORF-TVthek
Vienna (OTS) – The “beasts” are on the loose! From Monday, January 1, 2024, two worlds will collide on ORF ON and in the ORF TVthek (app and web) when two best friends from modest backgrounds who dream of a better life, and two sisters who – mainly with their parents’ money – living their dreams, finding themselves caught between love, lies and recklessness in the new ORF series written by successful author Uli Brée. Anja Pichler, Mara Romei, Fanni Schneider and Theresa Riess (“Jeanny – The 5th Girl”) star as the titular “beasts”. The young line-up in the ten 45-minute episodes is completed by Felix Oitzinger, Tamim Fattal, Julian Looman, Felix Kreutzer (“Soko Kitzbühel”) and Etienne Halsdorf (“Days that didn’t exist”).
From April to September 2022, audience favorites and acting greats such as Ursula Strauss, Simon Schwarz, Claudia Kottal, Aleksandar Petrovic, Ines Miro, Annabelle Mandeng, Wolfgang Hübsch, David Oberkogler, Selina Graf, Monica Reyes, Daniela Kong and others stood alongside the newcomers Oliver Baier in front of the camera. The series was directed by Mirjam Unger and Andreas Kopriva, both experienced in high-end series. “Biester” is an ORF production made by MR-Film. Further information on the content of “Biester” is available at presse.ORF.at.
In the new series, viewers can look forward not only to four powerful women, but also to a powerful voice:
“Starmania 22” candidate Valentina Thoms sang and recorded the German-language signature for “Biester”, which was also released as a single on December 14th under the title “Luftschloss”. The soundtrack for the series has been available on all common music download/streaming portals since December 14th.
Screenwriter Uli Brée: “We often long for what we don’t have”
“’Beasts’ is not only the story of four young women looking for the right path in life, but also about the search for instructions when it comes to family. The series tells of the desire for a different life, of longing and self-deception. We often long for what we don’t have. And when we have it, we are disappointed because we imagined it to be completely different.” And further: “Every beast also has a heart. It just gets in his way every now and then. Being a beast means being a friend. Being a beast means staying true to yourself. Being a beast means believing in your dreams. Against all odds.”
Director Mirjam Unger: “Between a community building and a noble villa”
“The series delves into young lives and explores the question:
What do rich and poor actually have in common and what separates them? While filming we commuted between a municipal building and a posh villa. It was immediately noticeable between which extremes we move. The special thing about ‘Biester’ is the many exceptional young talents, some of whom are in front of the camera for the first time, but also the tone of voice – light, funny, biting. As a director, I was able to set up the series with a great team – define the worlds, determine the colors, bring the characters to life. It was a lot of fun and I’m extremely proud of the ‘beasts’.”
Director Andreas Kopriva: “A good start to the new year”
“It was a great challenge to tell these complex characters credibly and coherently with new actors, some of whom were still completely inexperienced in filmmaking, and to let the two wonderfully written milieu worlds – poor and rich – collide. ‘Biester’ is a series full of surprises, emotions, cool Austrian music and dry humor – a good start to the new year!”
More series and films to stream
In addition to “Biester”, numerous other highlights and audience favorites from the series and film sectors will be available on ORF ON and in the ORF TVthek (web and app) from January 1st, including “Schnee”, “Sisi”, “Vorstadtweiber”, “M – A city is looking for a murderer”, “Walking on Sunshine”, “Quick investigation”, “Wiping is power”, “Soko Kitzbühel”, “Soko Donau”, “Four women and a death”, “Weber and Breitfuß” as well as films from the country crime and “Tatort” series.