Universum Empire of the Vineyard

Production Overview
The film tells the story of life and survival in a vineyard over the course of a year. An unexpected number of animals and organisms settle among the vines or hunt there as the seasons pass. The film explores the unique eco-system created by the vineyard, its inhabitants and its guests as it has never been seen before. The battles for dominance and survival among the animals and of the vines themselves are the centrepiece of the story, which also investigates the role played by the weather in this sweet, enticing empire.

Vineyards are almost invariably located on the „sunny side“ of the world. The buds, leaves, branches, roots and even the shadows of the vines provide cover, breeding grounds, food and hunting territories. In autumn, when their fruit is ripe and juicy, vineyards attract a range of animal visitors; they are a unique, lively eco-system. From microbes to insects, from birds to mammals, a surprising number of creatures are „wine enthusiasts“. As it is in any kingdom, their lives are shaped by a number of different hierarchies. The film examines this colourful, exciting world with a healthy dose of humour. 
The film is set in the picturesque wine regions in Austria, France and Germany, but similar battles for the riches of the vineyard are repeated throughout the world. A range of central „protagonists“ and the relationships between them provide the main theme of the film, which accompanies them from the first signs of new life in spring to the end of the harvest. Some of these protagonists have distant relatives in the animal kingdom, enabling the film to move easily between countries.


A co-production of Interspot Film and Kwanza for ORF Universum, France 2 and SWR. Funded by Fernsehfonds Austria, Kultur Niederösterreich and Creative Europe Media. Distributed by ORF Enterprise.



Interspot Film kwanzaorf universumfrance 2swrfernsehfondsKultur NiederösterreichEurope creative mediaorf entersprise


Writer: Eva Maria Berger & Waltraud Paschinger
Director: Franz Hafner
Cutter: Tanja Lesowsky
Production Management: Isabella Lesiak
Executive Producer Interspot Film: Nikolaus & Nils Klingohr, Heinrich Mayer-Moroni
Executive Producer Kwanza: Benjamin Ternynck
Executive Producer SWR: Ulrike Becker 
Commissioning Editor ORF: Birgit Peters
Commissioning Editor France 2: Caroline Glorion
Executive Producer ORF: Andrew Solomon
Completion: 2019

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Martin Demmerer
Martin Demmerer
Telephone: +43180120-560