“In reciting Salter’s bluest prose under the discomfiting gaze of the camera, the participants experience every feeling on the spectrum, united only in the strength of their reactions.” - Charles Bramesco, Little White Lies
“Unpeels ever deeper and often darker male sexual secrets and admissions like a Russian doll.” - Wendy Ide, Screen International
Tuesday, March 14, 6pm | In an abandoned factory, a large group of men, from teenagers to senior citizens, have volunteered to openly discuss and read aloud the infamous, anonymously penned 1906 erotic novel “Josephine Mutzenbacher or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself.” Director Ruth Beckermann (THE WALDHEIM WALTZ - CEUFF 2019, ZORRO’S BAR MITZVAH - CEUFF 2007) playfully - and pointedly - uses the graphic, controversial text as a catalyst for the men to reflect on their own sexual attitudes, proclivities, and fantasies. Winner of the Encounters Award at the Berlin Film Festival, MUTZENBACHER is a revealing experiment for the subjects – and for the audience.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Encounters Award, Berlin Film Festival
Nominee - Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Prize, San Sebastián International Film Festival
Chicago European Union Film Festival: A celebration of emerging voices and a showcase of provocative perspectives from across the European Union. We welcome you to country hop with us all March long. Regardless of the country of origin, every film in the 26th Chicago European Union Film Festival has been chosen for you, our Chicago audience. We invite you to see the world on our screens. View full festival here.
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