This documentary portrays a city at the turn of the century, caught between unbridled faith in technological progress and a deep-rooted connection to nature.
Vienna’s rise to become the cultural center of Central Europe around 1900 was driven by rapid metropolitan growth and the transition from an agrarian to an industrial society. The incorporation of its largely rural suburbs and the reshaping of the surrounding areas created the space needed for a population approaching two million. In fin-de-siècle Vienna, rivers were straightened, floodplains drained, forests cleared, and construction boomed throughout the city.
Yet this new urban way of life, increasingly detached from nature, also brought a host of challenges and problems. Where did Vienna’s residents obtain their raw materials and energy? How was the city kept clean, and what happened to its waste? How did people interact with the city and the natural environment? And which environmental measures proved short-lived, and which endured and pointed the way toward the future?
Produced for ORF Vienna, the documentary connects historical developments with present-day issues, placing a special focus on modern waste management and street cleaning services.
A film by Norman Vaughan.
Credits
Documentary
25 Min. / 45 Min.
Directed by: Norman Vaughan
Written by: Franziska Kiefmann, Norman Vaughan
Producers: Jakob Pochlatko, Dieter Pochlatko
Line Producer: Heinrich Mayer-Moroni
Production Manager: Franziska Kiefmann
Postproduction: Jelka Jeschek
Director of Photography: Bernhard Riener, Jonathan Vaughan
Sound: Klaus Tauber
Music: Martin Payr
Edited by: Michaela Müllner
Narrator: Angelika Lang
Commissioning Editor ORFIII: Rainer Keplinger
among others
produced in: 2024
first broadcasted: 19. März 2024
a co-production by EPO-Film, NVFP, ORFIII, ORF Wien
with the financial support of FERNSEHFONDS AUSTRIA, Filmfonds Wien, VAM