– The Austrian filmmaker returns to the themes of tourism and alienation with a dark character study co-written with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
Director Ulrich Seidl (© Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa – fadege.it, @fadege.it)
Development is under way on Distances, the new feature by prominent Austrian auteur Ulrich Seidl, marking his latest exploration of human behaviour on the fringes of society. Known for movies such as the Paradise trilogy, In the Basement and his breakthrough Dog Days, the filmmaker once again turns his attention to the intersection of tourism and discomfort, this time through the lens of so-called dark tourism.
Currently in development, the film centres on Carl Schwert, a man in his late fifties who is interested in the misfortune of others. He organises trips to destinations associated with dark tourism. At these sites of suffering and death, he feels alive. His life at home in Austria, however, is characterised by distance: his adult son Ben, for example, hasn’t left his room in years. When the young man finally gives free rein to his pent-up rage, Schwert’s world also threatens to fall apart. The film explores loneliness and self-imposed isolation, as well as the fear of human intimacy and the longing for it.
The cast is set to include Austrian comedian, radio and television presenter Christoph Grissemann (Forever Never Anywhere) and Maria Hofstätter, with whom Seidl has previously collaborated on Paradise: Love and Paradise: Faith, among others. This is not the first time that Seidl has focused on holiday destinations, as seen in Paradise: Love, Safari and Rimini. The screenplay is co-written by Seidl alongside his longtime partner Veronika Franz and his nephew Severin Fiala, the duo behind Goodnight Mommy and The Devil’s Bath. Behind the camera, Seidl reunites with his regular cinematographers Wolfgang Thaler (Rimini, Sparta) and Ed Lachman (Paradise: Hope, Import/Export).
Distances is an Austrian-German-French co-production staged by Seidl through his Vienna-based company Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion, in co-production with Berlin-based Essential Filmproduktion and Paris-based Société Parisienne de Production. The project has already secured multiple layers of public funding, including support from the Austrian Film Institute and Filmfonds Wien, along with Germany’s Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung. The movie is aiming for completion in 2027.
