Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

Veronika Franz (born 1965) and Severin Fiala (born 1985) are an Austrian filmmaking duo. Franz, a former film journalist, began her film career co-writing with her husband, filmmaker Ulrich Seidl; Fiala, a film student, is Seidl and Franz's nephew. Franz and Fiala began their creative partnership writing and directing Kern (2012), a documentary about the actor Peter Kern. They went on to gain international notice for their feature debut, the German-language psychological horror film Goodnight Mommy (2014), which was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

Veronika Franz
Born1965 (age 54–55)
Vienna, Austria
Occupation
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • journalist
Years active1997–present
Spouse(s)Ulrich Seidl
Severin Fiala
Born1985 (age 34–35)
Horn, Austria
Occupation
  • Director
  • screenwriter
Years active2009–present

They subsequently wrote and directed a segment of the anthology horror film The Field Guide to Evil (2018), followed by the English-language psychological horror film The Lodge (2019).

Career

Veronika Franz was born in 1965 in Vienna, Austria.[1] Prior to establishing a career as a filmmaker, she worked as a film journalist for the German-language newspaper Kurier, beginning in 1997.[1] She subsequently co-wrote several screenplays with her husband, filmmaker Ulrich Seidl,[2] including all three features in his Paradise trilogy; she also worked as an assistant director on some projects.[3] Severin Fiala was born in 1985 in Horn, Austria,[1] and formally studied at a film school.[3] Fiala is Seidl's biological nephew, and Franz his aunt-by-marriage.[4] Franz became more closely acquainted with Fiala when she and Seidl hired him to regularly babysit their two sons.[5] Franz and Fiala found they had a mutual love of horror films.[5]

While attending a film festival, Franz met Austrian actor Peter Kern, a controversial actor and filmmaker.[3] Recalling their meeting Franz said: "[I talked to him] for several days actually. I only talked to him because I felt so sorry for him, but I got to know him. I really thought that he was a very fascinating character and someone should do a movie about him. He used to work with Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the German cinema of the ‘70s. He was kind of erschwerte in that group. I mean, he was crazy. I thought he was really crazy."[3] Franz decided to follow Kern for the next two years, directing and writing a documentary film on him with Fiala.[3] The documentary, titled Kern, was released in 2012.

In 2013, Franz and Fiala began working on their feature debut, Goodnight Mommy, a horror film about two twin boys who suspect their mother, having recently undergone cosmetic surgery, is in fact not their mother.[3] Goodnight Mommy, co-written and co-directed by Franz and Fiala, was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[6][7]

Franz and Fiala subsequently co-wrote and co-directed a segment in the anthology horror film The Field Guide to Evil (2018), titled Die Trud. In 2019, the duo directed (and co-wrote, with Sergio Casci) their English-language film debut, the psychological horror film The Lodge, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival[8] before being released in the United States on 7 February 2020.[9][10]

Filmography
Year Film Directors Writers Producers Notes Ref.
2012 Kern Yes Yes No Documentary film [3]
2014 Goodnight Mommy Yes Yes No German language title: Ich seh, Ich seh [6]
2018 The Field Guide to Evil Yes Yes No Segment: "Die Trud" [11]
2019 The Lodge Yes Yes No Co-written with Sergio Casci [12]

References
  1. Franz, Veronika; Fiala, Severin (10 February 2020). "Three Great Things: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz". Talkhouse. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Sereda, Elisabeth (5 September 2016). "Ulrich Seidl, Austria's Enfant Terrible, Is Back on the Lido". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  3. Chang, Kee (12 January 2020). "A Conversation with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala". Anthem Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  4. Jenkins, Mark (10 September 2015). "A Mom Might Not Be A Mom, And Yes, That's Scary". NPR. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  5. Giroux, Jack (14 February 2020). "The Lodge' Directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala on Building Atmosphere and Referencing 'Jack Frost' [Interview]". /Film. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  6. "Oscars: Österreich reicht "Ich seh, ich seh"". Kurier. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  7. "Austria Selects Goodnight Mommy as Oscar Bid". Film New Europe. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  8. Debruge, Peter (28 November 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  9. "THE LODGE Gets A Release Date – November 15, 2019". We Are Movie Geeks. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  10. Ramos, Dino-Ray (9 February 2020). "'The Lodge' Snowballs Solid Opening, 'Cane River' Celebrates Historic Release, Oscar-Nominated Films Enter Final Stretch – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020.
  11. "The Field Guide to Evil". Seattle International Film Festival. 2018. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
  12. Harvey, Dennis (2 February 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Lodge'". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019.
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