The Josef Trilogy by Thomas Woschitz

“The Josefs started life as peripheral figures in a short-story, then they became main characters and have since taken on independent existences. As a result a short film turned into a trilogy. Actually it wasn’t me who invented the stories, it was the characters who imposed the stories on me.” Thomas Woschitz
There is a number of interesting things about The Josef Trilogy by Thomas Woschitz: it evolved over a ten-year period, and when the director filmed the first story, he had no idea he would ever return to his woodcutters, each named Josef. But within a year, a sequel had been born, and in 2004 he returned to his Josefs again. Each time, he managed to regroup the actors with whom the trilogy began. Although the three stories constitute a whole, in terms of genre they differ greatly. The first indicates Woschitz’s origins – the Austrian experimental scene. The second seems to be inspired by Austrian Heimatfilm, i.e. melodrama from the Alps, but in Woschitz’s take there is no glossy color print. In the third story, with his humor and stark minimalism, Woschitz joins the family of filmmakers that includes Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismäki.
The first part of the trilogy, People’s Pockets and Bleeding Noses, won the prize for best short film at the Austrian film festival Diagonale; the second, Duds, premiered in Venice, and the last, Girls and Cars, was presented in the prestigious Critics’ Week at the Cannes festival.
As a special bonus the trilogy will be preceded by Woschitz’s four two-minute etudes introducing the director as an experimental filmmaker belonging to a strong camp of the Austrian avant-garde.

4 Experimental Films by Thomas Woschitz (Thomas Woschitz / Austria / 1995 / 8min.)
A bonus to The Josef Trilogy – four two-minute films by Thomas Woschitz: Promenadenmischung (Promenademix), Internation (Internment), Wenn 100 000 Fliegen Fleisch verfärben (When 100 000 Flies Colour the Meat) and Kino.

Tascheninhalt und Nasenbluten (Thomas Woschitz / Austria / 1995 / 11min.)
Five lumberjacks named Josef cut wood in the Austrian Alps. They dream of going to Canada but are only able to scrape together enough money for an old Opel Rekord.

Blindgänger (Thomas Woschitz / Austria / 1996 / 25min.)
Austrian Alps. Josef, Josef, Josef, Josef and Josef are stuck cutting wood. A farmer’s daughter, who wants to escape her abusive father, talks the five Josefs into helping her. The plot fails and thwarts their hopes for an early departure.

Girls and Cars (Thomas Woschitz / Austria - Canada / 2004 / 30min.)
Seven years later. The four lumberjacks, Josef, Josef, Josef and Josef leave Europe for a brighter future in Canada. Searching for the fifth Josef they meet a pin-up girl, twin strippers, a car saleswoman, a taxi driver and see many beautiful cars.