The folks art Cineuropa are giving us a major update on the next feature by master filmmaker Ulrich Seidl. Most recently in casting mode, we learn that Christoph Grissemann, and muse Maria Hofstätter will topline Distances which is being co-written with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. If you’re into his previous films (namely the Paradise trilogy), he’ll be exploring previous themes of isolation, alienation, and bad tourism, this Austrian-German-France co-production is being lensed by Wolfgang Thaler and Ed Lachman. We should see this drop in 2027 – we’d bet on Venice. Here is the synopsis:
This is about Carl Schwert, a man in his late fifties who is interested in the misfortune of others. He organizes trips to destinations associated with dark tourism. At these sites of suffering and death, he feels alive. His life at home in Austria, however, is characterized by distance: his adult son Ben, for example, hasn’t left his room in years. When the young man finally gives free rein to his pent-up rage, Schwert’s world also threatens to fall apart. The film explores loneliness and self-imposed isolation, as well as the fear of human intimacy and the longing for it.
