Sommer in Wien

It is summer, the city is under a state of emergency, blue flags are hoisted at the pools and temperatures reach a new peak.

In a workshop located in Vienna´s third municipal district injured pianos are waiting for their revival and unusual string instruments for their birth. It is a place where not only instruments but also people with exceptional life blueprints feel at ease.

A stroll through the world of the piano maker Bernhard Balas heals oppressed and disbalanced bodies and souls. Benevolence, the love towards his profession and the belief in quality over quick profit are the most valuable assets in these rooms.

Bernhard is a passionate fisherman and cook who prepares fresh meals for his employees everyday in his improvised workshop-kitchen. Experiencing his every-day-life and listening to his employees reveals a system that should be a suitable model for a better world. But moreover, Bernhard´s workshop is the epicentre of people whose stories represent Vienna´s attitude towards life.

Max who is from Slovenia and now shares a flat with his partner Niklas, is a restorer. He calls a collection of epochal umbrellas his own and, in his spare time, sews historical dresses. Amidst their interior from bygone eras they talk about social acceptance and give an insight into their relationship.

Christine used to be Christian only half a year ago. Now she and her friend Andrea organize an amicable meeting-festival in her allotment. But their euphoric vision is soon to be tested by reality. Their festival seems in danger of shipwrecking when one day before the opening Andrea´s mobile is run over by a truck, the toilet facilities implode and the power generator packs in.

The writer John just published his first book. He dreams about finding love and wants to change his life that is currently ruled by lethargy and avolition. Meeting him with a friend of his, who allegedly owns one of Michelangelo´s chisels, leads to a heated discussion about democracy, peace and war: There are people believing in peace. They are the dumbest of all.

Extraordinary people, rare craft and a city full of music. These are the ingredients of this unusual city portrait about passion, the art of survival, carps and shellac, the necessity of failure and about the warm-heartedness in Vienna´s hot summers.

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