Indien (film)

Indien
Indien
Written by	Paul Harather
Screenplay by	Paul Harather ; Josef Hader ; Alfred Dorfer
Starring	Josef Hader, Alfred Dorfer
Cinematography	Hans Selikovsky
Music by	Ulrich Sinn
Production; company	Dor Film
Release date	1993;
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Austria
Language	German

Indien (transl. India) is a 1993 Austrian tragicomic road movie directed by Paul Harather. It was Austria's submission to the 66th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it was not nominated.^[1]^[2] It is one of the most successful films of Austrian Cinema and has developed a cult following.

Plot

The main characters are Heinz Bösel (Josef Hader) and Kurt Fellner (Alfred Dorfer), who work for the tourist office in Lower Austria assessing guesthouses. Bösel is fond of beer and occasionally ill-behaved, while Fellner is more intellectual and refined, constantly asking his colleague Trivial Pursuit questions. However, they gradually bond as they travel around Austria.

Later in the film, Fellner is taken ill and is diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer. Bösel helps Fellner fulfil his last wishes, which include playing on an organ and going into the woods one last time to hear the birds. Fellner dies in his friend's arms, but the film ends optimistically when Bösel meets an Indian man who seems to be the reincarnation of his friend.

Awards

Thomas Pluch Screenplay Prize to Alfred Dorfer and Josef Hader, 1993
Grand prize of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 1994
At the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis in 1994, Prize of the Saarland Premier to director Paul Harather, and audience prize
Österreichischer Filmpreis in 1994

Cast

Josef Hader - Heinzi Bösel
Alfred Dorfer - Kurt Fellner
Karl Markovics - Kirchingerwirt

References

^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
^ Frook, John Evan (30 November 1993). "Acad inks Cates, unveils foreign-language entries". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2008.