The Waldheim Waltz
When Austrian diplomat and former UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim announced he was running for president in 1986, the news was greeted with joy and seen as a safe bet by his fellow countrymen and women. That is, until his Nazi past was revealed – an awkward detail he’d conveniently forgotten to mention during all his years in public office. Despite some people’s stupefaction and protests, ultimately this didn’t stop him from being elected to lead the country.
| Directors | Ruth Beckermann, Ruth Beckermann |
| Actors | Naomie Décarie-Daigneault, Naomie Décarie-Daigneault |
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"What I remember best are the scenes I shot myself." Thirty years later, with the birth of "alternative facts", Ruth Beckermann goes back to her archives and finds this footage from 1986. Back then, she was keeping record and protesting at the same time. This dual position gave rise to this incredible and militant investigation where notions of truth and responsibility play a central role. Analysing the revelations about this Austrian candidate with his nightmarishly long hands, Beckermann scrutinises the stand taken by the Austrian political class and the heated debates in the streets, and takes us back to the uncertainty and stupefaction of those weeks. As well as shedding light on Waldheim’s past, the film explores Austria and how it dealt with its Nazi involvement to rebuild itself after the war.
Charlène Dinhut
Programmer and curator
-
Français
1h34
Language: Français -
English
1h34
Language: English
- Année 2018
- Pays Austria
- Durée 94
- Producteur ORF - Österreichischer Rundfunk, Ruth Beckermann Filmproduktion
- Langue German
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court The Nazi past of candidate Kurt Waldheim, former UN Secretary-General, resurfaced during the 1986 presidential elections in Austria.
- Mention festival Glashütte Original Award · Best Documentary · Berlinale 2018
- Ordre 2
"What I remember best are the scenes I shot myself." Thirty years later, with the birth of "alternative facts", Ruth Beckermann goes back to her archives and finds this footage from 1986. Back then, she was keeping record and protesting at the same time. This dual position gave rise to this incredible and militant investigation where notions of truth and responsibility play a central role. Analysing the revelations about this Austrian candidate with his nightmarishly long hands, Beckermann scrutinises the stand taken by the Austrian political class and the heated debates in the streets, and takes us back to the uncertainty and stupefaction of those weeks. As well as shedding light on Waldheim’s past, the film explores Austria and how it dealt with its Nazi involvement to rebuild itself after the war.
Charlène Dinhut
Programmer and curator
-
Français
Duration: 1h34Language: Français1h34 -
English
Duration: 1h34Language: English1h34
- Année 2018
- Pays Austria
- Durée 94
- Producteur ORF - Österreichischer Rundfunk, Ruth Beckermann Filmproduktion
- Langue German
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court The Nazi past of candidate Kurt Waldheim, former UN Secretary-General, resurfaced during the 1986 presidential elections in Austria.
- Mention festival Glashütte Original Award · Best Documentary · Berlinale 2018
- Ordre 2
