On 2 and 7 December, two documentaries supported by the Austrian Television Fund (FERNSEHFONDS AUSTRIA) will air for the first time; they are titled „Engadin – Wildnis der Schweiz“ and „Zwischen Rampenlicht und Rotlicht – Das Varieté”. In total, the grants awarded by the Austrian Television Fund amount to roughly EUR 100,000 for both productions.
The Engadin valley comprises the largest wilderness area in Switzerland as well as the Alps’ oldest national park. Now, 100 years after the national park’s foundation in 1914, the documentary “Engadin – Wildnis der Schweiz” shows the thriving wildlife in the area. The documentary will be broadcast in the Universum series on ORF 2 on Tuesday, 2 December 2014, at 8.15 pm.
It was produced by the Austrian production company Kurt Mayer Film; the Austrian Television fund (FERNSEHFONDS AUSTRIA) supported the production with EUR 70,000, hence absorbing 19.96% of the overall production costs of EUR 352,632.
The second documentary („Zwischen Rampenlicht und Rotlicht – Das Varieté“) explores the development of Viennese nightlife from the 1930s to the present day; from its early days, when family-friendly galas and vaudeville shows were shown, to its demise into the red-light milieu. The film shines a light on a previously little-known part of Viennese history. It will be broadcast in the dok.film series on ORF 2 on Sunday, 7 December 2014, at 11:05 pm.
This production by Groupe Soleil Film & Multimediaproduktion GmbH, located in Austria as well, received a grant of EUR 29,244 (30% of the overall production costs of EUR 97,480).
The Austrian Television Fund (FERNSEHFONDS AUSTRIA), established at RTR, is the largest funding agency for television productions in Austria. Funding is provided for the production of television films, series and documentaries with a clearly recognizable economic reference to Austria by production companies with business premises or a branch in Austria. The Austrian federal government makes available an annual budget of EUR 13.5 million. Additional information about the Austrian Television Fund can be found at www.fernsehfonds.at.