Choose cities Movies now playing: Zürich Choose cities

An audition for men aged between 16 and 99. There are no props nor make-up, just pure improvisation. All that is required is the willingness to engage openly with the topic and language of the words on the page. No small challenge, since the text in question is the scandalous novel published anonymously in 1906 “Josefine Mutzenbacher, or the Life Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself” which, as this film confirms, continues to be the subject of passionate and controversial discussions about desire, even today. What might be world-class pornographic literature for some is seen by others as an abusive depiction of child sexuality.

Empress Elizabeth of Austria is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, ‘Sisi’ celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While Elizabeth’s role has been reduced against her wishes to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes her more and more restless in Vienna.

When the infamous Robber Hotzenplotz leaves his hideout in the forest to steal a beloved musical coffee grinder belonging to Kasperl’s grandmother, the town’s clumsy police sergeant proves to be of little help with arresting him. The young Kasperl and his friend Seppel decide that they will track down the thief themselves, but stopping him will not be easy – especially when Hotzenplotz involves the wicked magician Petrosilius who lives in a terrifying castle where he will imprison our heroes. Joined by a fairy-turned-toad, Kasperl and Seppel must escape the castle, catch the two vicious crooks, and bring the coffee grinder back to Kasperl’s beloved grandmother!