Dear Readers,

These days, the Austrian film is internationally celebrated like never before. At this year's Academy Awards, Austrian director Michael Haneke’s masterpiece Amour was nominated in five categories, eventually taking home the statue for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition, Austrian actor Christoph Waltz was awarded the second Oscar in a row for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dr. Schultz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. However, the success and popularity of Austrian film is not a recent phenomenon but rather dates back to as early as 1900.

In this issue of Austrian Information, guest author Professor Robert Dassanowsky sheds some light on the beginning of the film scene in Vienna and its successful progression over the years. We also focus on the noir masterpiece The Third Man and, with the help of Professor Michael Burri, analyze what it is that makes this cult film so unique. Furthermore, to better understand the current importance of Austrian film in an international context, we asked actor and director Karl Markovics a few questions about his experiences. Also, did you know that The Third Man is not only the title of the noir cult film but also the name of a recently opened bar in Manhattan? Austrian chef and owner Eduard Frauneder tells you more about that in this issue.

For those of you who are waiting on this year’s list of summer schools, you can find them now online at www.austrianinformation.org/summerschools. Also, should you no longer wish to receive Austrian Information in a printed format but would prefer to receive the electronic version, please write an email to inbox@austria.org.

I hope you will enjoy reading this issue of Austrian Information as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, I am looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

Yours sincerely,

Alice Irvin
Editor-in-Chief Director,
Austrian Press & Information Service