This was decided by a jury made up of members of the film industry, as the Association of the Film and Music Industry in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ) announced on Friday. The profound psychological profile of a young farmer’s wife in 18th century Austria has already received several awards.
In “Des Teufels Bad”, produced by Ulrich Seidl, the depths of depression are portrayed in the context of a farming society. In rural Upper Austria, Agnes, played by Anja Plaschg (also known as the musician Soap&Skin), is trapped in an archaic life. Suicide is out of the question in a society in which the soul must atone for this sin forever in purgatory. And so the desperate woman ultimately resorts to a desperate act of violence.
“Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala give a voice to women from the peasant milieu of the 18th century, the invisible and unheard of that time, and show their hard everyday lives, determined by religious dogmas and taboos that still have an impact today. This historical drama impressively shows the social constraints and the individual striving of women for freedom,” said the jury in its statement. The film also impresses with its visual power and expressive images, excellent camera work and successful costume and make-up design.
Cameraman awarded
Cameraman Martin Gschlacht was awarded the “Silver Bear” for his outstanding artistic achievement for “Des Teufels Bad” at the Berlinale this year. At the Austrian Film Awards, the film won awards in eight categories – including “Best Feature Film”, “Best Cinematography” and “Best Female Lead”.
“It is a great honor for us to represent Austria and, above all, we are delighted that we can promote Austrian film in its entirety in the USA in this way,” Franz and Fiala, who were also responsible for the screenplay based on historical court records, were quoted as saying. The directing duo were already in the running for the Foreign Film Oscar in 2015 for the film “I See I See”, but did not make it onto the shortlist.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. A first shortlist for the “Best International Film” category will be published on December 17, 2024, and the films actually nominated for the Oscar will be announced on January 17, 2025. Last year, Austria entered “Vera,” a semi-documentary, Italian-language film by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. It did not make it onto the shortlist.
