Last updated on November 13th, 2024 at 01:28 pm
Austrian film Alma and Oskar will open the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa from November 20 to November 28. This biopic is about the passionate and tumultuous relationship between the Viennese society Grand Dame Alma Mahler (1879-1964) and Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka ((1886-1980). The film has a total runtime of 110 minutes and is directed by Dieter Berner.
It is only fitting that, as a festival that seeks to celebrate the art of cinema to the fullest, IFFI 53 opens with a film about a love affair between a composer and an artist. Oskar Kokoschka, an upcoming painter, finds Alma, a music composer, during a time when she was already in a relationship with architect Walter Gropius, after the death of her first husband, Gustav Mahler.
She cannot realize her artistic potential in another man’s shadow, so Alma initiates a fiery affair with Oskar Kokoschka. Kokoschka’s most famous work is based on their relationship, which says something about its nature. The film explores their relationship, which has been described as stormy and tumultuous.
Dieter Berner, a renowned Austrian film and theatre director, actor, and screenwriter, is the director. He became a well-known director in Austria because of his six films that won awards, called Alpensaga. This was a family and village chronicle that ran from 1976-1980. His film Berliner Reigen(2006) based on Schnitzler’s theater-play Der Reigen received international acclaim.
Alma and Oskar is scheduled for Sunday, 20th of November, at INOX, Panaji.
