Series Site
September 8–12
While it may be a truism to say that sex pervades the cinema, few experimental or documentary filmmakers have explored the subject as persistently, thoroughly, or in such a distinctive and unusual way, as Jan Soldat. Over the course of the last 15 years, and across more than 100 films, Soldat has devoted himself to mapping – with a radical lack of judgment and a profound yet unshowy empathy – the myriad forms that human desire can take, and the vast variety of sexual practices that exist. In his ever-growing body of (mostly short) films, Soldat documents individuals engaging in erotic acts, either alone or together, sometimes in the context of ongoing relationships but often via brief, temporary encounters. While his films focus almost entirely on gay male sexuality, they nevertheless survey a vast landscape of erotic activity, from relatively conventional practices to a dizzying variety of kinks, fetishes, and sometimes disturbingly deviant behaviors or fantasies.
What unites all the films, however – even those that are most extreme and at times difficult to watch – is the degree to which their focus is less on sexual acts per se than on the phenomenon of desire, both in and of itself and as a prism through which Soldat is able to construct an unusually honest and inclusive portrait of human behavior, psychology, desire, and interdynamics. Though sex – sometimes in its more shocking manifestations – is almost always front and center, the act itself typically takes up only a small part of each film. Soldat focuses instead on the deeply human mixture of awkwardness, vulnerability, social protocol, and tentative connection that frames sexual intercourse, and devotes much of the films’ running times to interviews with his subjects, who speak (eloquently) about their desires but also about their lives in general. Working in collaboration with his protagonists, Soldat has created a kaleidoscopic body of work that comprises a profound and empathetic investigation into the human body, desire, and the undeniable urge towards interconnection, both physical and emotional.
Please note: some of the films in this series contain graphic sexual content, and certain viewers may find them disturbing.
Since 2011, each annual edition of the Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival) has featured the granting of the Viennale Erste Bank Film Award to one or more Austrian filmmakers whose films are included within the festival. Designed to showcase the best of Austrian cinema, the Award was founded by Erste Bank, the Viennale’s main sponsor, and is awarded according to the findings of an independent jury. The Award brings a cash prize as well as a residency as a visiting filmmaker hosted and organized by Deutsches Haus at NYU. The 2022 Award was granted to two films, one of which was Jan Soldat’s BLIND DATE.