Kreuzpunkt (Crossing Point)

And then they meet after all.

I.DIRECT-Kollektiv

Vienna in times of political polarisation. The cinematic satire ‘Kreuzpunkt’ (Crossing Point) tells of the interwoven relationships of a group of people in a city in which right-wing discourses have become normal.

“I am Austrian and this gives me the right to be a burden. The country has to endure me”, Khalil states. At the centre of the feature film ‘Kreuzpunkt’ (Crossing Point) is the generational conflict and the hate/love relationship between him and his father. They are two of five protagonists on their daily search for identity and stability.

Abdullah came to Vienna as a filmmaker decades ago – and became a father overnight. Khalil struggles with this father for the painful truth and, at the same, time for a much desired closeness. Claudia has given up real-estate brokering to visit people in their apartments. Stefan is an ordinary right-wing extremist, not particularly a dream of a son-in-law, but also not unlikeable. Jasmina, on the other hand, carries her ideology before her and her interpersonal relationships inside. Together with the above, the film explores the ‘crossing points’ that allow the protagonists to approach and strengthen one another.

In the weeks following film’s screening, I.DIRECT, together with the Counselling Office Extremism, offer workshops on the topic of ‘the centre’s extremisms and ideologies of inequality" which are aimed at adolescents and young adults in particular. In this context, the workshop participants will reflect on right-wing extremism, terrorism warnings, security discourses, and solidary counter-strategies in everyday life.

I.DIRECT-collective: Basem Saifo, Myassa Kraitt, Abdolelah Farhoud
Project authors: Basem Saifo, Myassa Kraitt

Film Crew
Idea: Widad Hamdan
Script, Director, Editor and Translation: Basem Saifo
Assistant director: Sallar Othman
Production: Magdalena Ly
Production asisstant: Julia Stöckl
Cinematography: Caspar Thiel, Binsar Pandjaitan
Ton: Mohamad Humam Samakeh
Light: Klaus Track
Costume: Abdolelah Farhoud
Cast: Abdolelah Farhoud (Abdullah), Johnny Mhanna (Khalil), Jakob Oberschlick (Stefan), Monica Anna Cammerlander (Claudia), Lisa Nemec (Jasmina), Stefan Bergmann (Narrator) 
Concept: Myassa Kraitt
Consulting: Myassa Kraitt, Natasa Mackuljak,
Proofreading: Myassa Kraitt

Event language(s): German, Arabic

Production WIENWOCHE
Cooperation partners: Counselling Office Extremism, VHS Jugendcollege, Club Turn

Photo credits key visual: Caspar Thiel