cultural
Friday evening is Austria-wide cinema start of “stars under the city” with ex-paramour Verena Altenberger. The Pongauererin is – with this film co-financed by the ORF – on a tour of the federal states in small cinemas in the country.
Anyone who wondered in 2021 why she played everyone’s beloved with a stubbly hairstyle on the cathedral square will now find out the reason at the latest. At that time it was an excitement for many in Salzburg. At the time, Altenberger was portraying a woman with cancer while shooting for a new film that was going on at the same time.
Reflection on the death of one’s own mother
The Salzburg premiere of this production was now shown in the Diesel cinema in St. Johann – a home game for the young actress from nearby Dorfgastein (also in Pongau). The story revolves around a modern fairy tale set in a Vienna subway station.
After the presentation in St. Johann, Altenberger and director Chris Raiber spoke to the audience – also about the real cancer death of Altenberger’s mother: “It was a film that got too close to me while shooting. I had a lot of headaches and slept badly.”
Immediately on to the second appointment in Hallein
After the performance in St. Johann, everything had to happen quickly. Everything on this tour is planned to the minute. It takes exactly 30 minutes to continue to the Stadtkino Hallein (Tennengau). The leading actress and the director manage to be there in the hall at the end of the film. The word cancer is never spoken in the film, says Altenberger: “It is the most beautiful thing to tell about this disease in a way where love conquers fear.”
Father beams with happiness
Walter Altenberger is the father of the leading actress: “It’s an indescribable feeling to see your daughter in a film like this. Lucky for me.”
“Stars under the City” is not a cancer film – but a love film in which tears hardly flow in the audience.