In the debate regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Ulrich Seidl’s drama “Sparta”, the Viennale is taking the lead: the festival will include the film regarding a man played by Georg Friedrich who struggles with his pedophile tendencies in this year’s program. “The Viennale is convinced that film festivals are there not least to show films like ‘Sparta’ and to put them up for discussion,” says a broadcast from the film festival, which starts on October 20th.
The allegations regarding the circumstances of the shooting, in which, according to a “Spiegel” research, children’s rights are said to have been violated, are of course taken seriously and the investigations initiated are welcomed: “The inclusion of the film in the festival program should therefore not be an expression of exoneration. But neither does the Viennale want to be part of a prejudice once morest directors or films.”
“Sparta” is simply an outstanding and mature film that treats its subject extremely sensitively. After the Toronto Festival canceled the world premiere of the work, it recently premiered in San Sebastian. The complete program of the Viennale will then be published on October 11th.
