Born in Styria in 1967, Norbert Pfaffenbichler is one of the most exciting figures in Austrian experimental film and has found success internationally thanks to invitations to festivals such as Venice and Locarno. But Pfaffenbichler has always looked beyond the avant-garde: As an artist and curator, he is a genuine cinephile with as much enthusiasm for experimental cinema as for genre films that offer other ways of seeing the world.
Now, Pfaffenbichler has made a trailer for the Austrian Film Museum (featuring music by Julia Witas) whose title is an homage to the audience – those responsible for making the experience of film-going something special: "To the Wonderful People in the Dark."
The chain of associations around looking that forms the trailer is also a survey of film history: From Vertov to Kubrick and Scorsese within just a few seconds.
A Trailer for the Film Museum
Norbert Pfaffenbichler: "To the Wonderful People in the Dark"
Pfaffenbichler's films are preserved at the Austrian Film Museum. More information about the author and his work can be found on his Website.
Behind the Idea
While processing a deposit from the animation class of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, we came across two treasures that both the Film Museum and the artists had given up for lost: A trailer for the Austrian Film Museum by Bady Minck and another by Sabine Groschup, both created in the early 1980s. We used this find as an occasion to return to the idea of an artist's trailer.With Pfaffenbichler's contribution, the first of these works is now ready and will soon be shown at various festivals and cinemas. We are looking forward to winning over more filmmakers for the idea and to more artists entering into a dialogue with the Film Museum in the future.
