Looking for Don Giovanni

In Baden-Baden, Nayo Titzin follows the producers of the opera Don Giovanni, created for the Innsbruck Festival of 2006. He is looking for a musical truth... What if Mozart's masterwork Don Giovanni had been interpreted in a wrong way for more than two centuries? Conductor René Jacobs, famous for his performance of Così fan tutte and laureate of a Grammy Award for his innovative recording of The Marriage of Figaro, comes back with new ideas on the comprehension of one of the greatest operas of all times. In this relevant documentary, Nayo Titzin clarifies and highlights all the brightness of those melodies and recitatives. Rewarded with many praises in the international press, this production shows the dramaturgical perfection of the "opera of the operas," the absolute of the genre, as Wagner once said. Once more, the Bulgarian director offers a fun and subtle report, and makes sure that everyone will understand this myth.

Der Stoff, aus dem Träume sind

Kellergassen in Niederösterreich - Weinkultur und Lebensfreude

A Kellergasse – the cellar lane – is one of the distinguishing cultural and physical features of the winegrowing region Niederösterreich – Lower Austria. There are more than a thousand of them. Until recently, wine was not only stored in the Kellergasse, but pressed and fermented there as well. Today, the Kellergassen have less to do with occupation and more with recreation. A documentary by Georg Riha follows a year in the life of this valuable cultural legacy.

Inland

"Politics for Austria," "Fairness," "We provide security"-election slogans that promise a return to bygone morals, adorn the city of Vienna before the Austrian national parliamentary elections in 2017. The mistrust with regard to supposed political elites, coupled with promises made by the right wing populist parties, polarize Austrian society. INLAND offers intimate insight into the lives of its protagonists and thereby draws a genre picture of their fears and hopes in complex times.

How to Cook Your Life

A Zen priest in San Francisco and cookbook author use Zen Buddhism and cooking to relate to everyday life.

The Road to War (The End of an Empire)

"The Road to War" uses elaborate and fascinating computer-generated recreations and archives never seen before to examine how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 was used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire to start a war against Serbia. The film investigates how this regional conflict involving the Central Powers and the Triple Entente escalated to become "World War I", a war with more than 17 million dead and More than 20 million injured.

Kaiser Karl V. - Wunsch und Wirklichkeit

Totschweigen

In the small town of Rechnitz a terrible crime against humanity was performed during the holocaust. Until now, no-one dares to talk about it.

Andreas Hofer. Held wider Willen

Projekt Ballhausplatz

How a group of young men managed to take over the government and lead it to the brink of democracy. What drove the “Praetorians” and why almost the entire country was at their feet. Why the European public marveled and admired this.

Austria: The Land of Music

Begin your tour of magical Austria in Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart that echoes with the sound of music. Meet an archduke from the Hapsburg dynasty and enjoy regional food and drink at a country tavern. Enjoy the Tyrolean atmosphere of Innsbruck and the magnificent scenery of Heiligenblut. Tour an armor museum in Graz and stroll through the Old Town's arcaded courtyards. Watch famous Lipizzaner horses perform, then continue on to the famed Vienna Boys Choir, inspect a porcelain factory, and examine art in an auction house. Marvel at the Schoenbrunn Palace, then travel down the Danube to take in the wine harvest.

Im Keller

Filmmaker Ulrich Seidl explores of the dark underside of the human psyche by entering Austrian basements fitted out as private domains for secrets and fetishes.

Tales from the Royal Wardrobe

Today, few people's clothes attract as much attention as the royal family, but this is not a modern-day paparazzi-inspired obsession. Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, reveals that it has always been this way. Exploring the royal wardrobes of our kings and queens over the last four hundred years, Lucy shows this isn't just a public fascination, but an important and powerful message from the monarchs. From Elizabeth I to the present Queen Elizabeth II, Lucy explains how the royal wardrobe's significance goes far beyond the cut and color of the clothing. Royal fashion is, and has always been, regarded as a very personal statement to reflect their power over the reign. Most kings and queens have carefully choreographed every aspect of their wardrobe; for those who have not, there have sometimes been calamitous consequences. As much today as in the past, royal fashion is as much about politics as it is about elegant attire.

Die Rückkehr der Wölfe

Wolves divide and fascinate us. 150 years after they were driven to extinction in Central Europe, they are returning slowly but inexorably. Are they dangerous to humans? Is it possible to coexist? Using Switzerland as a point of departure, where wolves have returned in the very recent past, this documentary sheds light on the wolf situation in Austria, eastern Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, and even Minnesota, where freely roaming packs of wolves are more common sight.

Kronen Zeitung: Tag für Tag ein Boulevardstück

This film journeys deep into the heart of Austria’s favorite daily newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung, the most widely-read paper per capita in the world. The “Krone’s” 2.7 million readers represent 43% of the Austrian press market. A reflection of the Austrian soul, this newspaper serves as a prism through which we can understand the rise of the populist Right in this country and examine the dangerous flirtation between media and politics.

Sisi... und ich erzähle euch die Wahrheit

September 11, 1898: The imperial family’s personal physician, Dr. Herman Widerhofer, is deeply shocked by the news that an anarchist has assassinated Empress Elisabeth in Geneva. He then shuts himself up in his private rooms and recalls the empress’ fateful life. We learn the truth about Elisabeth, as the doctor knew more about her than anyone else.

Prince Philip: The Plot to Make a King

Documentary telling the inside story of the plans by Louis Mountbatten to maneuver his nephew and heir to the Greek throne, Philip, into marrying the future queen Princess Elizabeth and the tensions that that unleashed.

Anton Bruckner - Das rätselhafte Genie

Die Dohnal

Johanna Dohnal, whose political career spans three decades, was one of the very first explicitly feminist politicians in Europe. As a member of the Austrian socialist government and the first Austrian minister for Women’s Affairs from 1990 to 1994, Dohnal was responsible for founding Austria’s first women’s refuge as well as criminalizing of marital rape. Yet her legacy remains yet to be discovered and re-examined. DIE DOHNAL makes a first step, and it makes Dohnal come alive.

Der schönste Platz auf Erden

There is a small town in Austria called Pinkafeld, which gained adverse publicity as a “Nazi village” during the presidential election of 2017, when a majority of its citizens voted for their famous neighbour, the right wing candidate Norbert Hofer. What do people really think in regard to their homeland, refugees and populism? The community shows a society in transition, a microcosm reflecting Europe’s zeitgeist.