by Here’s a rare chance to see influential 1980s psycho-thriller ANGST as part of London’s watchAUT Austrian Film Festival
The upcoming 3rd edition of watctAUT Austrian Film Festival will take place at Cine Lumiere and the ICA Cinemas in London 13-16 March.
As well as premiering anticipated new films by Austrian directors, the festival also celebrates Austria’s rich cinematic heritage. And this year’s archive screening is a rare chance to see on a cinema screen the infamous and influential 1980s psycho-thriller ANGST (directed by Gerald Kargl, 1983).
Banned in many European countries for its depictions of violence, and based on real-life Austrian mass murderer Werner Kniesek, Angst follows a troubled man who is released from prison after serving ten years for murdering an elderly woman. Feeling the compulsion to kill again, he chances upon a secluded rural home where a young woman lives with her sick mother and disabled brother, and he immediately begins enacting his sadistic fantasies on them. Shocking and significant in equal measures, notable filmmakers including Gaspar Noé cite Angst as an influence, and The Brutalist writer/director Brady Corbet recently selected ANGST in his list of “5 films for challenging times”: Brady Corbet’s Extreme Cinema for Extreme Times
Angst will screen at part of watchAUT Austrian Film Festival at the ICA, Saturday 15 March, 8:30pm: https://www.ica.art/films/angst
Other films in the program that might also appeal include the London Premiere of savage pitch-black satire VENI VIDI VICI and the UK Premiere of tense mystery MOON. More details on those below:
VENI VIDI VICI
(Dir: Daniel Hoesl & Julia Niemann, Austria). London Premiere. In this pitch-black satire, which debuted at Sundance, the ultra-rich have reached the ultimate privilege: getting away with murder. The grotesque Maynard family have turned hunting into a chilling blood sport in a film that drips with poisonous elegance, and blends biting social commentary with stunning, painterly visuals. Veni Vidi Vici delivers a savage critique of unchecked power with a wink, a smirk, and plenty of blood. Including Q&A with Daniel Hoesl & Julia Niemann. ICA, Friday 14 March, 6:30pm
MOON
(Dir: Kurdwin Ayub, Austria). UK Premiere. A winner at Locarno Film Festival, Moon sees former Austrian martial artist Sarah take a job as a personal trainer for three sisters from a wealthy Jordanian family – but what seems like a dream job quickly turns eerie: the girls aren’t interested in training, their lavish home feels like a prison, and their bodyguards hide secrets. Kurdish-Austrian filmmaker Kurdwin Ayub crafts a tense mystery of wealth and control, isolation and silence. Including Q&A with Kurdwin Ayub. ICA, Friday 14 March, 8:40pm
