Blut in der Spur

In 1949, Maria Zechmeister was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her husband. There was neither evidence nor a confession, but there was a lot of talk in the village in Upper Austria where she lived, especially behind her back. These rumours provided the basis for the subsequent legal inquiries. Summereder’s 1981 film is based on the written transcript of the trial, on motions, statements and what remains of them three decades later. Zechmeister, who was released early after 17 years in prison, plays herself, as do the five witnesses who appear in the film; the jurors and those present at the pub are played by people from the area, while the other roles are performed by actors. In its gentle radicalism, ZECHMEISTER—a key work from the zero hour of New Austrian Cinema—is an account of farewells and new beginnings. “What I didn’t want to do under any circumstances was to make a ‘historical’ film” (AS). It is screening together with a new restoration of the 1979 experimental short film BLUT IN DER SPUR, which Summereder made together with Bady Minck: a dream of a woman whose period blood leaves traces in a snowy landscape. (Florian Widegger)

In the presence of Angela Summereder.
With ZECHMEISTER.

Angela Summereder (selection): BLUT IN DER SPUR (1979), ZECHMEISTER (1981), ABENDBROT (2008), JOBCENTER (2009), IM AUGENBLICK. DIE HISTORIE UND DAS OFFENE (2013), AUS DEM NICHTS / OUT OF THE VOID (2015), DIE TAGE WIE DAS JAHR (2018), SCHWESTERN (2020), BARTLEBY (2020)