The director Ulrich Seidl is well-known for his taboo-breaking films. However, he does not do this with a grand provocative gesture. Taboos can relate to words, things, actions, themes of conflict, to plants and animals, the use of resources, and individuals or social groups. Not without following his subtle directions, the characters in Seidl’s films play themselves, and talk about faith, longing, love, fear, and obsessions. In the framework of WWTBD – What Would Thomas Bernhard Do, Seidl presents his film The Ball, from 1982, which would go on to significantly influence the course of his career, as it was: “the reason why they threw me out of the film academy. The teachers didn’t like the structure or the editing of the film and thought it would damage the reputation of the academy.” Taking this film as a starting point, Nicolaus Schafhausen and Ulrich Seidl will discuss the significance of career breaks, the subversion of conventional subjects, and their forms of representation and the search for artistic independence.
Ulrich Seidl, Der Ball, 1982, 16 mm Film übertragen auf DVD, 50 Min / Brüder, lasst uns lustig sein – Eine Mozartfilmminute, 2006, 16 mm Film übertragen auf DVD, 1 Min © Ulrich Seidl Film Produktion GmbH.
Nicolaus Schafhausen (*1965) has been the director of the Kunsthalle Wien since October 2012.
Ulrich Seidl (*1952) is a director, producer, and screenwriter. He lives and works in Vienna. In 2001, Seidl was awarded with the Silver Lion Jury’s Special Award for his first motion picture Dog Days. In 2013 Paradise: Love was awarded the Austrian Film Award in the category best film production, best director, and best actress.