Fox under construction (AT 2020), the new feature film by director Arman T. Riahi, inaugurates the Diagonal 21. The Austrian Film Festival is scheduled as an attendance event and will run under a strict Covid-19 security protocol from 16 al 21 March to Graz. On the biggest screen in the country – nella Helmut List Halle – the drama inspired by Wolfgang Riebniger's experiences as a support teacher in the Vienna-Josefstadt prison will be screened in two consecutive screenings on the opening night. Fox under construction celebrates, therefore, his first Austrian at the Diagonal 21.
With Fox under construction, which is set in the location of a school-prison, director, which was the latest success with his comedy The migrants (AT 2017) and has won several awards at the Diagonale, now adopts a completely new tone: while the characters of the famous anti-integration parable have deliberately polarized, in Fox under construction a much more nuanced spectrum of themes emerges, that, taking into account the extent of the conflicts dealt with, it also allows us to draw conclusions on the constitution of our company. Fox under construction is a film that highlights the weaknesses of detention and working conditions in the penal system, doing without the classic black and white patterns, an empathic film about courage, on aging and the power of education in difficult conditions. Con Aleksandar Petrović, Maria Hofstätter (Big Diagonale Acting Award 2013), Andreas Lust, Sibel Kekilli, Karl Fischer and many others, Fox under construction is led by an impressive ensemble of actors who join leading young actors and actresses around Luna Jordan to form a formidable cast. Mario Minichmayr's precise and agile camera and Karwan Marouf's soundtrack are among the other features of the feature film produced by Golden Girls Film (Arash T. Riahi e Karin C. Berger).
“The treatment that a company reserves to those who la refuse perhaps allows to draw several conclusions. Arman T. Riahi focuses on the literally closed world of juvenile prisoners, thus expanding the vision of ourselves. Fuchs im Bau is a Chamber play gender coming-of-age che mette in scene conditions particularly difficult. Mindful dand the great models di prison film, working with precision and with a superb cast, Riahi meets the environment shown not only with understanding, but above all with reason: empathetic, illuminating and – for all the overall social implications of the conflicts faced – anything but controversial“.
— Sebastian Höglinger and Peter Schernhuber, Artistic directors of the Festival
For his documentaries Schwarzkopf (AT 2011) e Children (AT 2016), made together with his brother Arash T. Riahi, Arman T. Riahi has already received the Kleine Zeitung Audience Award at the Diagonale twice.
The feathers are counted, the classroom is narrower than inspiring. Yet the prison school is perhaps the only place where young offenders, in the midst of their gloomy daily life, they can at least temporarily get distracted from everyday life. Elisabeth Berger (Maria Hofstätter) here he teaches with unconventional methods: spelling and math are not his priorities, he prefers to confront the rebel inmates with short jokes or unauthorized excursions into the prison kitchen. When the master Hannes Fuchs (Aleksandar Petrović) takes his place, initially he has to deal with Berger, who is unwilling to leave the field to the newcomer, all the more so as under his supervision a sexual assault on sixteen year old Samira takes place, which results in a fight and finally in the girl's isolation. Fuchs gradually gains the trust of the introverted inmate. Little by little, even the traumas of his past come to light.
Starting from the experience of the series of events that the festival has staged under the name Diagonal 20 - “The unfinished“ after its cancellation in March 2020, the next edition is planned as a modular festival: the Diagonale will be based in Graz as a physical location, as well as presenting some offers online. Depending on the Covid situation 19, individual program points can be added or deleted, or adapt quickly and as flexibly as possible. Covid's security measures 19, now consolidated and tested during the Viennale, they are intended to allow audiences to enjoy film and culture despite the restrictions of the pandemic. A tal fine, the Diagonale is also involved in other spring cultural events.
The Diagonal 21 will take place in Graz from 16 al 21 March. The entire program will be published on 5 March. Ticket sales will begin on 10 March 2021.