Sleeping with a Tiger

2024, Austria, 107minutes, Biography, Drama

Director: Anja Salomonowitz
Writer: Anja Salomonowitz
Cinematographer: Jo Molitoris
Producers: Antonin Svoboda
Cast:  Birgit Minichmayr, Johanna Orsini, Lukas Watzl, Oskar Haag

SLEEPING WITH A TIGER is a film about the Austrian painter Maria Lassnig. A film about her struggle in the male dominated art world and the quest to find her own personal artistic way of expression in which she brings her inner pain on canvas. And of course, a film about her great artistic success.

This Movie is a biopic within its own form. Maria Lassnig is always played by the same actress, no matter if she is 6, 14, 64 or 94 years old in the portrayed scene. There is no make up to change the appearance of the actress. She glides through the decades as an eternally identical figure. This is an artistic translation of her mental state. It is said about Maria Lassnig that she was ageless. Wise as a young girl and young at heart as an old woman. So, the theme changes from a biopic to a poetic approach as a whole to process that our soul, regardless of age, always remains the same. 

Festivals, Awards, and Nominations: 

  • Austrian Film Award, 2024
  • Best Leading Actress Nominee – Birgit Minichmayr
  • Best Feature Movie Nominee – Antonin Svoboda
  • Best Director Nominee – Anja Salomonowitz

Anja Salomonowitz

Anja Salomonowitz  was born on 12 November 1976 in Vienna  is an acclaimed Austrian film director and screenwriter recognized for her innovative fusion of documentary and fiction. She studied film directing in Vienna and Berlin, gaining early experience as an assistant to Ulrich Seidl. Her work is marked by a strong conceptual approach and a focus on real-world social issues. Salomonowitz is active in academia, teaching at Aalto University in Helsinki and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and she co-founded the Documentary Academy at the Jihlava International Film Festival. She has received numerous honors, including the Austrian Outstanding Artist Award. Salomonowitz resides in Vienna with her family.

Filmography:

  • „Sleeping with a Tiger” (2024)
  • „This movie is a gift” (2019)
  • „The 727 Days Without Karamo” (2013)
  • „Spain” (2012)
  • „It Happened Just Before” (2006)