QUESTIONING THE WINDOW, 19min., Austria
Directed by Vulpecula Collective
In an intensive conversation in her old apartment in Vienna, the world-experienced artist Beta tries to take away young Gamma's fears, among other things in connection with her native Burgenland-Croatian language - just as her mentor Alpha had once managed to do with her. But unlike Alpha, Beta doesn't enjoy playing with her partner's fears.

Get to know filmmakers Valentina Himmelbauer, Myriam Angela, Tess Hermann -

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The desire to realize a film project arose in us at the beginning of 2021. As good friends and actresses, we simply wanted to shoot together once again. The coronavirus pandemic, which was still in full swing and had largely brought cultural life to a standstill, also played a role. As a result, there were even fewer offers for us as actresses than usual. So, without further ado, we decided to realize our own project. The shooting location we were given, an old Viennese apartment with a huge window, finally provided the breakthrough and the crucial idea for the script. Our lives between different cultures were another inspiration: Valentina had spent her childhood as a Burgenland-Croatian in south-eastern Austria; Myriam had also grown up bilingual (German/French) and lived in different places and Tess had moved to London for her Master's degree, which meant that she has been moving between German and English ever since.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Literally years... More precisely, from the initial idea in spring 2021 to the completion of post-production in fall 2023.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Myriam: Weird and colorful.

Tess: Brave and different.
Valentina: Weirdly cool.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

There were indeed some challenges that made production more difficult or delayed it. From the corona pandemic and absences due to illness during filming to the original shooting location, which was no longer available due to renovation work. That was a hard blow for us because this old apartment served as the main inspiration for the script. However, after a long search, we were finally able to find a more than suitable replacement, which we are now very happy with.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Myriam: It was so motivating, touching and beautiful that our German/Burgenland-Croatian film was mainly seen and commented on by an English-speaking audience.
Tess: With our first ever project being an experimental film I was scared people wouldn't understand what we were trying to say. I was more than delighted to see that the audience understood and appreciated our work.
Valentina: For me it was really surprising and at the same time overwhelming to see strangers talking so enthusiastically about our film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
Myriam: When I got my camera and when I understood as a kid that films can be made.
Tess: When I realized that if the working environment you want isn't out there you have to create your own.
Valentina: For me, the realisation came during the corona pandemic.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Myriam: The Harry Potter Series.

Tess: Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese.

Valentina: For sure the "Sissi-trilogy" by Ernst Marischka.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

As young filmmakers who are still fairly new to the industry, any opportunity to network is a gift for us. Since film production requires a lot of money, which can only be partially provided through funding, we would of course be particularly happy about prize money on the festival trip.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

Working with FilmFreeway was super easy - a very accessible platform. It was also really cool to see how many different film festivals there are around the world.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Lasagne made by Myriam!!

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Next up are several projects that we want to work on at the same time. The launch of our vulpecula collective website and the associated social media channels is on the agenda. From an artistic point of view, we are working on a theater show and two more short films this year. We are quite busy foxes ;)