The Trial (2011) ( Der Prozess )

The Trial (2011) (DVD) (*)

$36.99

Original Title: Der Prozess
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Subtitles )
German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Germany ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
116 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 2011 and produced in:
Austria ( Germany, Central Europe )

Directed By:
Gerald Igor Hauzenberger

Written By:
Gerald Igor Hauzenberger

Actors:
Gerald Igor Hauzenberger

Synopsis:

Anti-terrorist squads descend upon animal rights activists as if they were the most dangerous enemies of the state. Although there is no concrete evidence against them, they are imprisoned for an alleged conspiracy and malicious injury of property. International media sarcastically report on this judicial farce, which would become one of the longest trials in Austrian history. The special authority granted by the so-called Mafia Paragraph 278a is still used against hundreds of individuals who take part in political rallies. The film follows the case as closely as possible from different angles - members of the police force were not allowed to speak about the proceedings while the trial still lasted - but its main focus lies on the fate of some of the defendants from pre-trial custody release to the financially and psychologically extremely challenging trial itself.

In a show trial, a group of animal-rights activists was charged according to an anti-terror/mafia law. Without evidence of involvement in property damage, the NGO activists were sued for threatening the political system and economy. A special task force put them under surveillance for two years, kicked down their doors, and took them to jail at gunpoint. After three months in prison and a 14 month trial all of them were acquitted. Despite this, many of the activists face financial ruin now. The director Gerald Igor Hauzenberger followed one of Austria's most important trials with his camera.

Animal rights activists will go far to save the life of a farm pig or a chicken, but as told by Gerald Igor Hauzenberger, in his recent documentary The Trial, animal protectionism is a passion so all-consuming it can change, and perhaps even derail, your life. The Austrian activists he follows, including scruffy-looking, soft-spoken Martin Balluch, hang banners on farms using banned battery cages. But what gets them into trouble is protesting outside a luxury fur store and monitoring huntsmen.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 16 May, 2013.