60
T
he Pharos Arts Foundation and the Embassy
of Austria in Cyprus presented four eclectic
documentaries created by some of Austria’s lead-
ing directors, between 27 and 30 October 2013.
The
fi
lms, screened at The Shoe Factory in Nico-
sia, showcased different aspects of Austrian life
and culture and dealt with issues that are currently
pan-European. Screenings were shown in their
original language with English subtitles.
Mama Illegal
Director: Ed Moschitz
Runtime: 95’
Year: 2011
From Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest nations,
three women are smuggled out of the country to
work illegally inAustria and Italy. The years apart
put monumental strain on everyone involved. The
three women spend their time in foreign coun-
tries, separated from their husbands and children,
working endlessly for strangers so they can send
money home. The husbands and fathers must
continually balance caring for their children and
looking after their property, while the only time
the kids can spend with their mothers is through
online chats. Documenting several years, the
fi
lm explores with un
fi
ltered honesty issues of
distance and the complications of coming home.
Mama Illegal
brings forth a question with no clear
answers: How do we raise a family?
Abendland
Director: Nikolaus Geyrhalter
Runtime: 90’
Year: 2011
As the true/false
fi
lm
Abendland’s
tagline says,
“Some things can be seen more clearly at night”.
The wordAbendland, which literally means “eve-
ning land”, is the perfect title for this
fi
lm about
Europe’s true nocturnal identity.
This is a
fi
lm poem about a continent at night, a cul-
ture on which the sun is going down, though it is hy-
per alert at the same time, an “Abendland” that, often
somewhat self-obsessively, sees itself as the crown
of human civilisation, while its service economy is
undergoing rapid growth in a thoroughly pragmatic
way. Nikolaus Geyrhalter takes a look at a paradise
with a diverse understanding of protection. Night
work juxtaposed with oblivious evening digression,
birth and death, questions that await answers in the
semi-darkness, a Babel of languages, the routine of
the daily news and political negotiation: All this has
been captured in images with a wealth of details that
make the audience view things in a newway.
Abendland
has no narration (English subtitles are
used when subjects do speak) and does not fol-
low single characters. Each scene presents a new
occupation, either done by one person or many, in
silence or in the midst of a rave. As doctors moni-
tor premature babies, members of the European
Parliament convene to discuss the situations in Iraq
andAfghanistan. As Pope Benedict XVI addresses
thousands of priests outside the Vatican, pornogra-
phy is being
fi
lmed. As hundreds gather together
and sing Robbie Williams’
Angels
, tens of thou-
sands peacefully protest the transportation of recy-
Austrian Documentary Days
27 - 30 October 2013
