Wienfilm 1896–1976

Ernst Schmidt jr. shatters the city and reassembles it into something new in 130 fragments. Wienfilm 1896-1976, in his words "a kind of anthology about Vienna from the invention of film to the present", combines and contrasts historical material dating back to the first moving images of Vienna from the time of the Lumières with contributions by and in collaboration with contemporary artists (including Friedrich Achleitner, Marc Adrian, H. C. Artmann, Moucle Blackout, VALIE EXPORT, Padhi Frieberger, Ernst Jandl, Friederike Mayröcker, Peter Weibel). Ernst Schmidt jr. and his collaborators follow the traces of a "cinema of attractions", characterized by showmanship and the joy of presentation, and at the same time depict a Who's Who of the Viennese avant-garde scene at the end of the 1970s. (Janneke van Dalen/Florian Haag)

47 years after the world premiere, which took place at the Film Museum, we are now looking forward to the Vienna premiere of our digital restoration (2K) with revised English subtitles, based on the original 16mm negative from our collection.

Photo: Austrian Film Museum