A circus wagon and a shipping container serve as stonemason Michael Spengler’s workshop. It is here that he receives people in mourning. Together they design headstones that tell of the deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Neustadt have lost their two-year-old son. Through their dialogue with Michael they find the words to express their emotions, words that become form and substance—their child’s breath is to be represented in a fragile limestone. Hardburg Stolle is a woman of few words, through Michael’s guidance she dauntlessly swings the hammer that splits a boulder and feels a sense of strength that had been long buried. The Jacob family searches for the essence of their grandfather’s life: lover of nature, bon vivant, patriarch. What should an object that encapsulates him look like? Michael approaches the material and the people with great sensitivity and accompanies each family on a process that often takes months, one decision at a time.
The film tells the story of this difficult and intimate process and shows how working on the stone makes death concrete in the truest sense of the word. As the stone takes on its form, the families discover a new relationship with the deceased—and to life.
DOK Leipzig 2018, DE | Achtung Berlin Film Festival 2019, DE
ver.di Award (DOK Leipzig 2018, DE) | Honorable Mention Goethe-Institute (DOK Leipzig 2018, DE) | Ecumenical Award (Achtung Berlin Film Festival 2019, DE)
„Ein Film der Hoffnung und der Humanität. Genau diese Geschichte braucht unsere Welt jetzt.“ (Loud and Clear Reviews)
ein Film von Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor
UK 2025, 78 Minuten, IF mit dt. UT, FSK ab 12
Mi, 10.12., 20.40, KIZ Royal Kino, Graz
Mo 15.12., 20.00, Votivkino Wien
Do 18.12., 20.10, Volkskino Klagenfurt
Do 18.12., 20.30 Cinema-Paradiso Baden
Do 25.12., 20.30 Cinematograph Innsbruck
Ein Film von Jasmila Žbanic
BOSNISCHER OSCAR-BEITRAG 2026 "Best Feature Film"
DAS KINO, Salzburg 13.1.2026 Film + Talk
Hamburg: Studio Kino 27.11.-1.12.
weitere Kino folgen
ORT OHNE ERINNERUNG. KAISERSTEINBRUCH, die verschwundene Geschichte
Ein Film von Reinhard Tötschinger
täglich im Metro Kinokulturhaus Wien bis 3.12.
Sonderveranstaltung Film+Lesung+ Gespräch Mo 1.12., 20.00
Metro Kinokulturhaus
Innsbruck-Premiere am Fr 28.11., 20.00 Leokino
In Anwesenheit des Regisseurs und Protagonistin
Graz-Premiere am Mi 3.12., 18.00 KIZ Royal Kino
Gespräch mit Reinhard Tötschinger nach dem Film, Moderation: Harry Prinz
Linz-Premiere am Fr 5.12. Moviemento
Gespräch mit Reinhard Tötschinger nach dem Film, Moderation: Michael John (Kulturwissenschaftler und Historiker)
Tickets in den jeweiligen Kinos erhältlich!
Erlebt echte Kinomomente bei euch im Ort!
Eine Vielzahl ausgewählter Filme findet Ihr auf
Kino Vod Club, Watch AUT
BiH´s entry for the 98th ACADEMY AWARDS
in the category: BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Österreich Premiere:
KITZBÜHEL FILM FESTIVAL
28.11., 17.00
In Anwesenheit von Martin Nguyen und Renate Welsh
THIS HUMAN WORLD
5.12., 19.00 Topkino, Wien
14-18 November: IDFA
Our films at DOCS for SALE:
BLUM - Masters of their own destiny
directed by Jasmila Zbanic
Bosnian OSCAR entry "Best Int. Feature Film" 2026
OPEN
directed by Diana Fabianova
One World Film Festival 2025, SK I Ji.hlava Film Festival 2025 (Opus Bonus Competition), CZ