Bengaluru International Film Festival 2025 Showcases Austrian Cinema

A Potpourri of Vestiges Feature 

A still from Sleeping with a Tiger

The Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES 2025), in collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum, presented a rich cinematic experience celebrating the educational power of film. The festival featured two remarkable Austrian films, reinforcing cinema's role as a powerful learning tool.

Michael Pal, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are happy to continue our collaboration with the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes). As the Austrian Cultural Forum in New Delhi, we firmly believe in the educational power of cinema. Films have the unique ability to connect cultures, build bridges, and open up new perspectives for many people. Through our partnership with BIFFes, we aim to showcase Austrian filmmaking in India while highlighting the importance of cinema as a tool for education.”

Two Austrian films were showcased at BIFFES 2025, offering audiences an enriching experience. Rickerl tells the story of a struggling pub musician striving to succeed with his emotional songs while navigating challenges as a loving father. The film explores themes of perseverance, self-doubt, and familial bonds. Meanwhile, Sleeping with a Tiger is a hybrid film about Austrian painter Maria Lassnig, exploring her struggle in the male-dominated art world and her journey to find her own artistic expression. Lassnig's internal pain manifests in her artwork, and her portrayal in the film defies conventional biopic tropes. The same actress plays Lassnig at all ages, reflecting her timeless spirit and the idea that the soul remains ageless.

What makes this showcase an unmissable event is the sheer rarity of experiencing these films on the big screen. In an age dominated by digital streaming, watching these films in a theatrical setting—with their mesmerizing compositions, intricate lighting, and evocative soundscapes—is an entirely different, almost sacred experience. The meticulously restored prints bring out the nuances of the cinematography, allowing audiences to immerse themselves fully in these worlds of quiet revelations and poetic melancholia.

For many young filmmakers and students attending BIFFES, this Austrian showcase offered a masterclass in visual storytelling. Sleeping with a Tiger and Rickerl provided a fresh perspective on artistic resilience and creative expression, underlining the importance of film as a medium that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries.

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