Synopsis

August 1917. World War I is raging through Europe with an infernal destructiveness. Austrian-Hungarian troops are fighting against the Kingdom of Italy at the southern front line. The river Isonzo and the surrounding mountains and valleys are the spectators of a bloody trench warfare with countless dead people on both sides. In the midst of the hells of war and drumfire, bursting grenades and bodies, poison gas attacks and air raids, there are two survivors – the upper middle class Bohemian captain Jan Kopetzky and Jakob Lindner, the son of a Carinthian craftsman. Both, the only people left alive after an artillery attack, hold an isolated observation post high up the Julian Alps. The captain is severely injured and the young, inexperienced soldier was only recently drafted to the front. Expecting the imminent danger of a new wave of attacks, it is highly risky to leave the strategically important position. That is why Jakob decides to stay with the dying officer. And the only connection to the outside world is a field telephone.

Filmed in original locations, this authentic and intimate cinematic chamber play deals with friendship, dignity and humanity amidst the extreme irrationality of the first industrialised war in world history.

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2014 marks the 100th anniversary of World War I and the 75th anniversary of World War II. For this occasion, Branko Lustig has curated an anti-war film retrospective for the LET’S CEE Film Festival. The selected films are meant to both remind us of the crimes of the past as well as send a clear signal against violence, fascism, racism and discrimination.

In cooperation with:

Guests

Robert Hofferer

Producer Die Wälder sind noch grün