Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the 2nd watchAUT Austrian Film Festival. The festival’s very first edition opened with Jessica Hausner’s “Little Joe” with cast including Emily Beecham and Kerry Fox attending and joining a post-screening Q&A. The 2nd watchAUT runs 23-26 March at London’s Ciné Lumière, and this year’s selection includes anticipated new films from Austria including opening gala THE FOX with director Adrian Goiginger and lead actor Simon Morzé attending, award-winning LGBTQ+ drama EISMAYER, and environmental documentary MATTER OUT OF PLACE. The festival will also celebrate Austria’s rich cinematic heritage with a special presentation of Austrian auteur Fritz Lang’s 1929 masterpiece FRAU IM MOND with live piano accompaniment – often considered as the first ‘serious’ science fiction film, it’s a fascinating historical counterpoint to today’s spectacular sci-fi epics such as space station thriller RUBIKON, another new Austrian film due to screen at this year’s watchAUT.
As well as being an opportunity to preview anticipated new films by Austrian directors, the festival is also a celebration of Austria’s rich cinematic heritage. This year, watchAUT looks back to 1929 with a special archive screening of silent film FRAU IM MOND by internationally lauded director Fritz Lang. Often considered as the first ‘serious’ science fiction film, it’s a fascinating historical counterpoint to today’s spectacular sci-fi epics – including Leni Lauritsch’s space station thriller RUBIKON, one of the new Austrian films set to screen at this year’s watchAUT alongside others including opening gala THE FOX, award-winning LGBTQ+ drama EISMAYER, and environmental documentary MATTER OUT OF PLACE.
Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum London, Waltraud Dennhardt-Herzog says: “watchAUT is an international platform for a new generation of pioneering Austrian film talent. As well as looking forward to some of the most anticipated new films from Austria, this year watchAUT also looks back at Austria’s rich cinematic heritage with a special presentation of one of Austrian auteur Fritz Lang’s most iconic but rarely seen silent films.”
