Project Ballhausplatz - Rise and Fall of Sebastian Kurz
How a group of young men managed to take over the government and lead it to the brink of democracy. What drove the “Praetorians” and why almost the entire country was at their feet. Why the European public marveled and admired this. What caused the “Kurz system” to fail. In 2010, Sebastian Kurz catapulted himself to the center of attention, and shortly thereafter he became Secretary of State for Integration, Foreign Minister, head of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), and finally Chancellor of the Republic of Austria in 2017. His path to the top was meticulously planned, including dishonest means. The power in the state was in the hands of a few people, his “Praetorians,” as they called themselves.
The media, skeptical at first, quickly became fond of him. In Germany, the Bild-Zeitung celebrates Austria’s “plain-speaking chancellor” even up to this day. One might even think that a comeback is in the offing, while in Austria the process of coming to terms with the past is just getting underway.
Cast
- Sebastian Kurz
- Sebastian Kurz
Project Ballhausplatz - Rise and Fall of Sebastian Kurz
Kurt Langbein
- Documentary
- Production Country / Year
- Austria 2023
- Language
- dt., engl. OF m. engl. UT
- Format
- DCP, Color, 101min
1.85:1, Discrete 5.1
- Original Title
- Projekt Ballhausplatz - Aufstieg und Fall des Sebastian Kurz
Nominated for:
Granit – Hofer Dokumentarfilmpreis
Director & Crew
Kurt Langbein
Born in 1953. Studied Sociology in Vienna. Worked as a documentary filmmaker and department head at the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. Active as a director and producer.
Filmography
| 2015 | Landraub | Dokumentarfilm | |
| 2018 | Zeit für Utopien | Dokumentarfilm | |
| 2020 | Anders essen – das Experiment | Dokumentarfilm Co-Regie |
|
| 2022 | Der Bauer und der Bobo | Dokumentarfilm | |
| 2023 | Projekt Ballhausplatz - Aufstieg und Fall des Sebastian Kurz | Dokumentarfilm | 2023 |
“I wanted to understand how, within a few short years, a group of young people managed to come to power in Austria. And I wanted to try to deconstruct the right-wing populist narrative of Sebastian Kurz and his Praetorians.
Kurz’s career was meticulously planned, from massive influence on the major media to sabotage of the government, to which he himself belonged as Foreign Minister, to message control, which turned independent ministers into followers of orders. His ‘luck’ was the insecure and weakened ÖVP.”
Kurt Langbein
- Director of Photography
- Christian Roth (aac)
- Editor
- Alexandra Wedenig (aac)
- Sound
- Armin Koch
- Martin Kadlez
- Josef Umschaid
- Sound Designer
- Bernhard Köper
- Music Composer
- Paul Gallister
- Producer
- Kurt Langbein
