The first time I visited my grandfather’s brothel I was seven years old. We were sitting on a couch in the entrance hall and he was telling me a story. Just as the story was reaching its climax, he suddenly stopped speaking and left the room with two prostitutes. I looked over at my grandmother, whose gaze was empty, as if she were somewhere else.
Prostitution, pimping and human trafficking are universal phenomena of society and at the same time a taboo in public discourse. Beyond the indisputable moral rejection of evil per se, the various attempts to interpret this behavior have generally focused almost exclusively on the victims, in this case, the prostitutes. The offenders or pimps are usually not keen on discussing their profession or introducing themselves publicly, mainly because of judicial circumstances. Being the granddaughter of one of Salzburg’s most infamous pimps, I have encountered such a perpetrator on a truly intimate level, seen through a child’s eyes. Despite my initial, childlike naiveté I have witnessed and felt the ambivalence of the situation early on, through personal experience and the routine exposure to family life. I can only speak for myself when I say that my fascination for the subject has always been greater than my refusal of it.
Secret audio recordings by my grandmother, footage of my grandfather, architectural blueprints and photographs of the brothel, my father’s thoughts as well as my own memories: all this forms the groundwork of my undertaking.
My goal is not to shock, but to show the reality behind the façade, with all of its cracks, to expose the many facets of truth that lie beneath.
4 PRINTS IN DISTRIBUTION
|
distribution format |
35mm |
|
screen |
1,37 - Standard (single screen) |
|
speed |
24 fps |
|
sound |
optical sound |
|
original language |
German |
|
translation |
English (Voice over) |
|
rental fee |
66,00 € |
|
distribution format |
DCP on USB stick (SMPTE 2K) |
|
version
|
original version |
|
screen |
1,37 - Standard (single screen) |
|
sound |
sound |
|
original language |
German |
|
rental fee |
66,00 € |
|
distribution format |
DCP on USB stick (SMPTE 2K) |
|
version
|
English version |
|
screen |
1,37 - Standard (single screen) |
|
sound |
sound |
|
original language |
German |
|
translation |
English (Voice over) |
|
rental fee |
66,00 € |
|
distribution format |
Digital file on server (FHD) |
|
screen |
1,37 - Standard (single screen) |
|
speed |
24 fps |
|
sound |
sound |
|
original language |
German |
|
translation |
French (Separate subtitles file) |
|
rental fee |
66,00 € |
