MOTHER SUPERIOR (German: MATER SUPERIOR) // AT 2022 (71 min) // Horror-Drama
Synopsis: 1975, Rosenkreuz Manor. Sigrun starts a new position with the eccentric Baroness Heidenreich. A shared longing binds the two women together: the old lady’s memory contains the secret to Sigrun's past; the nurse’s life force holds the key to the future for the Baroness. On the path to self-discovery, Sigrun is confronted with the sinister world of "völkisch" occultism, opening an unearthly abyss in which every moral and principle is tested.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT:
My work often explores faith and ideology – the power of imagination fascinates me. In this respect, the connection between fascism and occultism has been a focus of my research for years. The existence of Nazi-devoted women’s movements, however, was new to me – so I decided to delve deeper into this paradox.
Meanwhile, Covid was raging, and unlikely alliances began to form – esoteric naturopaths suddenly siding with Trump, left-wing liberals falling for ultranationalist conspiracy theories. I was baffled and confused, reflecting on how naively we label values – good/evil, permitted/forbidden, rational/odd – when in reality, there are many unexpected combinations.
My aim is neither to attack one position nor to qualify another, but we ought to be aware of the danger that despicable worldviews may walk hand in hand with appealing ideals. The folkish feminists, for instance, were ahead of their time in advocating for equality – yet at the same time, they postulated “Aryan supremacy” from the perspective of the mother, the governess, the mystic.
>>>>> BEST FEATURE FILM & DIRECTOR // Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2022 <<<<<
>>>>> BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN // Grimmfest 2023 <<<<<
>>>>> BEST PICTURE & FEMALE LEAD & PROD. DESIGN // SA Horrorfest 2023 <<<<<
INTERVIEWS:
www.goreinthestore.co.uk
www.filmhounds.co.uk
www.deadline-magazine.de
CREDITS:
Writer, Director & Production Designer: Marie Alice Wolfszahn
Producers: Judith Doppler & Kurt Mayer
Cinematography: Gabriel Krajanek
Editing: Georg Eggenfellner
Original Music: July Skone & Stefan Voglsinger
Sound Design: Jon Geirfinnsson
Costume Design: Cristina Brandner-Wolfszahn
Art Direction & Visual Effects: Manuel Biedermann
Colour Grading: Nico Wieseneder
Sound Mix: Lenja Gathmann
Cast: Isabella Händler, Inge Maux, Jochen Nickel, Tim Werths
Funded by: BMKOES, Stadt Wien Kultur, Niederösterreich Kultur
MOTHER SUPERIOR (Austria 2022) is produced by She Fox Film & Kurt Mayer Film
International Sales: Black Mandala
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+++ WORLD PREMIERE: Sep 29th 2022 at SLASH Film Festival Vienna +++
+++ INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: Oct 15th 2022 at BROOKLYN Horror Film Festival +++
+++ WEST COAST PREMIERE: Oct 20th 2022 at PORTLAND Film Festival +++
+++ EUROPEAN PREMIERE: Mar 10th 2023 at FRIGHTFEST Glasgow +++
+++ LATIN AM. PREMIERE: Apr 16th 2023 at FANTASPOA Porto Alegre +++
+++ SWISS PREMIERE: Apr 29th 2023 at BRUGGGORE Brugg +++
+++ GREEK PREMIERE: May 10th 2023 at HORRORANT Athens +++
+++ WA STATE PREMIERE: May 20th 2023 at SIFF Seattle +++
+++ POLISH PREMIERE: Aug 8th 2023 at OCTOPUS Gdansk +++
+++ MEXICAN PREMIERE: Aug 18th 2023 at MACABRO Mexico City +++
+++ GERMAN PREMIERE: Sep 23rd 2023 at RANDFILMFEST Kassel +++
+++ OCEANIAN PREMIERE: Sep 29th 2023 at ANOH Sydney +++
+++ LANCASHIRE PREMIERE: Oct 6th 2023 at GRIMMFEST Manchester +++
+++ AFRICAN PREMIERE: Oct 26th 2023 at SA HORRORFEST Cape Town +++
+++ IRISH PREMIERE: Oct 28th 2023 at IFI Dublin +++
+++ ITALIAN PREMIERE: Nov 26th 2023 at BE AFRAID Gorizia +++
