Short

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15 min.

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Annaberg

Annaberg

Martina Berger tells stories of her life in a rural Austrian community in the beginning of the 20th century. Animated pictures revive the accounts of joy, hardship, love, war, survival and death.

In her kitchen, in the small village of Annaberg, grandmother Martina begins to tell stories. Her photo albums become the gateway to a past we dive into. Martina‘s mother lived around 100 years ago. She was married off against her will and gave birth to 13 children. As a young woman, Martina meets Gust. Although Gust is sent to the front as a soldier, the two fall in love by writing letters. Martina‘s brothers fall. The war ends and the village is occupied by Russian troops. No more letters arrive for a year, then Gust returns to the village as a one-legged invalid. Although Gust “releases” Martina, she decides to take over the farm with him and start a family. Martina's mother helps the young couple until she dies in a peculiar way. We leave the photo album world. The movie ends in Martina‘s kitchen.

Director’s statement
Annenberg began when it became clear that my grandmother would pass soon. We sat together in her kitchen, flipping through photo albums and listening to her stories, which I recorded spontaneously. Years after her death, I began sorting through the 12 hours of material to find her story. This was a personal process which led me to a better understanding of the circumstances my grandmother lived through. Although we had different views on religion and politics, she was always open and tolerant. Her Story became an anchor rooting me in my cultural identity. Today’s identity discourse is shaped by uncertainty and media noise. Listening to the stories of our ancestors makes us understand who we are and who we can become. I want to share this story with those who may not have a rural grandmother who told them how it was to live in Austria a hundred years ago.

Director and Producer
Martin Lorenz

Country of production

Austria

Target audience

Young adults, adults

Animation technique

2D (vector based)

Production company

LWZ Design & Animation

Stage of the project

in production

Looking for

Co-producer, Sales agent / distributor, Animator(s)

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CEE Animation is supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union and co-funded by state funds and foundations and professional organisations from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

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