SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS

SYNOPSIS

Sergeant Major Eismayer, the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces, has a secret he carefully hides from public view: he is homosexual. When he falls in love with a recruit, his artificial heteronormative existence is shaken to the core. To a man like Eismayer, a gay relationship cannot be reconciled with the traditional understanding of what a soldier should be. Will he preserve his image of a tough-as-nails man’s man or follow his heart? Is there some way to do both? Based on real events.

Sergeant Major Eismayer, the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces, has a secret he carefully hides from public view: he is homosexual. When he falls in love with a recruit, his artificial heteronormative existence is shaken to the core. To a man like Eismayer, a gay relationship cannot be reconciled with the traditional understanding of what a soldier should be. Will he preserve his image of a tough-as-nails man’s man or follow his heart? Is there some way to do both? Based on real events.

Sergeant Major Eismayer, the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces, has a secret he carefully hides from public view: he is homosexual. When he falls in love with a recruit, his artificial heteronormative existence is shaken to the core. To a man like Eismayer, a gay relationship cannot be reconciled with the traditional understanding of what a soldier should be. Will he preserve his image of a tough-as-nails man’s man or follow his heart? Is there some way to do both? Based on real events.

WORLD SALES

WORLD SALES

WORLD SALES

LOCO FILMS

LOCO FILMS

LOCO FILMS

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

DISTRIBUTION

AUSTRIA 
FILMLADEN FILM DISTRIBUTION

AUSTRIA 
FILMLADEN FILM DISTRIBUTION

AUSTRIA 
FILMLADEN FILM DISTRIBUTION

LINKS

LINKS

LINKS

www.eismayer.com

         

         

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

VENICE INT. FILM CRITCS' WEEK 2022
WOLDERFULL Grand Prize
Silver Ship for the best One True Pairing assigned to a couple of characters

Nominated for Queer Lion

INT. FILMFESTISPIELE VENEDIG
Association

PRAGUE MEZIPATRA QUEER FILM FEST. 2022
Mezipatra Queer Film Festival Audience Award

LES ARCS FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Audience Award
Prix des Cinglés du cinéma

FILMFESTIVAL MAX OPHÜLS PREIS 2023
Audience Award Fiction
Film Critic's Award - Best Fiction Feature

DIAGONALE‘23
Acting Award for Gerhard Liebmann
Nominated for Thomas Pluch Script Award (David Wagner)

AUSTRIAN FILM AWARDS 2023
Best Script (David Wagner)
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gerhard Liebmann)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Luka Dimić)
Best Score (LYLIT)

BURGAS FILM FESTIVAL 2023
Special Mention

KITZBÜHEL FILM FESTIVAL 2023
Best Director

GERMAN ACTING AWARD 2023
Best Actor (Gerhard Liebmann)

ROMY 2023
Best Score (LYLIT)

FESTIVAL D'UN BORD À L'AUTRE 2023
Audience Award

FESTIVALS

VENICE INT. FILM CRITICS' WEEK 2022
World Premiere

ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Fokus Competition

REYKJAVIK INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2022
New Visions Competition

VIENNALE 2022
Official Selection

VENEZIA A NAPOLI 2022
Il Cinema Esteso

THESSALONIKI INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Open Horizons

PRAGUE MEZIPATRA QUEER FILM FEST. 2022
Int. Feature Film Competition

LES ARCS FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Main Competition

TIBLISI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022
European Film Forum

MERLINKA FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Official Selection

PALM SPRINGS INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2023
Gay/Queer Cinema

FILMFESTIVAL MAX OPHÜLS PREIS 2023
Feature Film Competition

GÖTEBORG FILM FESTIVAL 2023
International Competition

DIAGONALE 2023
Main Competition

GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2023
Official Selection

WatchAUT 2023 – AUSTRIAN FILM FESTIVAL LONDON
Official Selection

INT. ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL 2023

PINK APPLE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL 2023

TEL AVIV INT. LGBTQ FILM FESTIVAL 2023

FILMFEST SAAS-FEE 2023

MDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL 2023

SUNNY BUNNY FILM FESTIVAL KIEW 2023

BURGAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023

KITZBÜHEL FILM FESTIVAL 2023

FESTIVAL D'UN BORD À LAUTRE 2023

VENICE INT. FILM CRITCS' WEEK 2022
IWOLDERFULL Grand Prize
Silver Ship for the best One True Pairing assigned to a couple of characters

Nominated for Queer Lion

FESTIVALS

VENICE INT. FILM CRITICS' WEEK 2022
World Premiere

ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Fokus Competition

REYKJAVIK INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2022
New Visions Competition

VENICE INT. FILM CRITCS' WEEK 2022
IWOLDERFULL Grand Prize
Silver Ship for the best One True Pairing assigned to a couple of characters

Nominated for Queer Lion

FESTIVALS

VENICE INT. FILM CRITICS' WEEK 2022
World Premiere

ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Fokus Competition

REYKJAVIK INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2022
New Visions Competition

QUOTES

QUOTES

QUOTES

»Gerhard Liebmann gives a full-throttle performance as Eismayer (…) Wagner takes a reserved approach to potentially heart-tugging developments. There is an air of confidence and composure in the film. (…) Beautifully underplayed, removing the sting of melodrama and all the more moving for it.« – SCREEN DAILY

»A Genre-Defying Boot Camp Drama With A Career-Making Performance From Gerhard Liebmann. (…) The film is harrowing and captivating all at once, vacillating between the beautiful and the grotesque from moment to moment. (…) In between spit-laced tirades, the actor conveys micro-doses of doubt and hesitation that betray the character’s legendarily brutal exterior, and it’s here where the story truly unfolds and tells the audience everything they need to know about this man. Anyone on the lookout for an untapped acting resource should take note of Liebmann’s performance. (…) A minimalist masterpiece with clean narrative lines and striking visual economy.« – THE PLAYLIST

»Liebmann excels (…), breathing life into a very raw, often brutal, drill sergeant who nevertheless never truly loses his humanity (…) Dimić has just as much fun with Mario, crafting him as a dynamic whirlwind who never truly crumbles, but has yet to learn some humility. (…) Wagner understands how to pair these more emotional moments with some light humour, and delivers an impressively compact and focused debut that promises more to come.« – CINEUROPA

»A provocative character driven drama based on real life (…) Liebmann gives a compelling performance in the central role. (…) Manages its tonal shift from austerity to an unexpectedly bracing denouement that is both thrilling and upbeat.« – FILMUFORIA

»Well-paced and handsomely shot (…) An impressive debut on the back of two strong central performances. (…) In terms of artistic merit Serafin Spitzer’s cinematography has to be singled out. His clever use of light and shadow in particular makes the intimate scenes lusciously erotic, and the visual language around both lead characters as they gradually become closer encapsulates their tentative dancing around each other.
Eismayer is an uplifting tale (…) With this debut Wagner shows a talent for gradually letting a story unfold, making Eismayer an engaging and quite simply damn romantic film.« 
– INTERNATIONAL CINEPHILE SOCIETY

»A brilliant film, combining an unbelievable, important true story that feels like a modern fairytale with the complex character study of a man who only discovers that it’s ok to be who he is when he sees himself in the eyes of the people around him. (…) An incredibly moving story, but it’s also filled with irony, and you’ll find yourself giggling several times. It’s also a highly enjoyable, effortless watch that’s both beautifully intimate and fiercely potent, led by superb performances from Gerhard Liebmann and Luka Dimić and impressive talent behind the camera. If you only watch one film at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, let it be David Wagner’s Eismayer. This poignant story of acceptance is a highly enjoyable, meaningful watch, and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.« – LOUD AND CLEAR

»Eismayer shines as an LGBTQ+ drama with honesty and delicacy. The story of Charles Eismayer is depicted in a beautiful manner, providing a respectful celebration of the real life counterpart’s own journey and one that is worth experiencing.« – THE INDIEPENDENT

»Gerhard Liebmann gives a full-throttle performance as Eismayer (…) Wagner takes a reserved approach to potentially heart-tugging developments. There is an air of confidence and composure in the film. (…) Beautifully underplayed, removing the sting of melodrama and all the more moving for it.« – SCREEN DAILY

»A Genre-Defying Boot Camp Drama With A Career-Making Performance From Gerhard Liebmann. (…) The film is harrowing and captivating all at once, vacillating between the beautiful and the grotesque from moment to moment. (…) In between spit-laced tirades, the actor conveys micro-doses of doubt and hesitation that betray the character’s legendarily brutal exterior, and it’s here where the story truly unfolds and tells the audience everything they need to know about this man. Anyone on the lookout for an untapped acting resource should take note of Liebmann’s performance. (…) A minimalist masterpiece with clean narrative lines and striking visual economy.« – THE PLAYLIST

»Liebmann excels (…), breathing life into a very raw, often brutal, drill sergeant who nevertheless never truly loses his humanity (…) Dimić has just as much fun with Mario, crafting him as a dynamic whirlwind who never truly crumbles, but has yet to learn some humility. (…) Wagner understands how to pair these more emotional moments with some light humour, and delivers an impressively compact and focused debut that promises more to come.« – CINEUROPA

»A provocative character driven drama based on real life (…) Liebmann gives a compelling performance in the central role. (…) Manages its tonal shift from austerity to an unexpectedly bracing denouement that is both thrilling and upbeat.« – FILMUFORIA

»Well-paced and handsomely shot (…) An impressive debut on the back of two strong central performances. (…) In terms of artistic merit Serafin Spitzer’s cinematography has to be singled out. His clever use of light and shadow in particular makes the intimate scenes lusciously erotic, and the visual language around both lead characters as they gradually become closer encapsulates their tentative dancing around each other.
Eismayer is an uplifting tale (…) With this debut Wagner shows a talent for gradually letting a story unfold, making Eismayer an engaging and quite simply damn romantic film.« 
– INTERNATIONAL CINEPHILE SOCIETY

»A brilliant film, combining an unbelievable, important true story that feels like a modern fairytale with the complex character study of a man who only discovers that it’s ok to be who he is when he sees himself in the eyes of the people around him. (…) An incredibly moving story, but it’s also filled with irony, and you’ll find yourself giggling several times. It’s also a highly enjoyable, effortless watch that’s both beautifully intimate and fiercely potent, led by superb performances from Gerhard Liebmann and Luka Dimić and impressive talent behind the camera. If you only watch one film at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, let it be David Wagner’s Eismayer. This poignant story of acceptance is a highly enjoyable, meaningful watch, and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.« – LOUD AND CLEAR

»Gerhard Liebmann gives a full-throttle performance as Eismayer (…) Wagner takes a reserved approach to potentially heart-tugging developments. There is an air of confidence and composure in the film. (…) Beautifully underplayed, removing the sting of melodrama and all the more moving for it.« – SCREEN DAILY

»A Genre-Defying Boot Camp Drama With A Career-Making Performance From Gerhard Liebmann. (…) The film is harrowing and captivating all at once, vacillating between the beautiful and the grotesque from moment to moment. (…) In between spit-laced tirades, the actor conveys micro-doses of doubt and hesitation that betray the character’s legendarily brutal exterior, and it’s here where the story truly unfolds and tells the audience everything they need to know about this man. Anyone on the lookout for an untapped acting resource should take note of Liebmann’s performance. (…) A minimalist masterpiece with clean narrative lines and striking visual economy.« – THE PLAYLIST

»Liebmann excels (…), breathing life into a very raw, often brutal, drill sergeant who nevertheless never truly loses his humanity (…) Dimić has just as much fun with Mario, crafting him as a dynamic whirlwind who never truly crumbles, but has yet to learn some humility. (…) Wagner understands how to pair these more emotional moments with some light humour, and delivers an impressively compact and focused debut that promises more to come.« – CINEUROPA

»A provocative character driven drama based on real life (…) Liebmann gives a compelling performance in the central role. (…) Manages its tonal shift from austerity to an unexpectedly bracing denouement that is both thrilling and upbeat.« – FILMUFORIA

»Well-paced and handsomely shot (…) An impressive debut on the back of two strong central performances. (…) In terms of artistic merit Serafin Spitzer’s cinematography has to be singled out. His clever use of light and shadow in particular makes the intimate scenes lusciously erotic, and the visual language around both lead characters as they gradually become closer encapsulates their tentative dancing around each other.
Eismayer is an uplifting tale (…) With this debut Wagner shows a talent for gradually letting a story unfold, making Eismayer an engaging and quite simply damn romantic film.« 
– INTERNATIONAL CINEPHILE SOCIETY

»A brilliant film, combining an unbelievable, important true story that feels like a modern fairytale with the complex character study of a man who only discovers that it’s ok to be who he is when he sees himself in the eyes of the people around him. (…) An incredibly moving story, but it’s also filled with irony, and you’ll find yourself giggling several times. It’s also a highly enjoyable, effortless watch that’s both beautifully intimate and fiercely potent, led by superb performances from Gerhard Liebmann and Luka Dimić and impressive talent behind the camera. If you only watch one film at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, let it be David Wagner’s Eismayer. This poignant story of acceptance is a highly enjoyable, meaningful watch, and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.« – LOUD AND CLEAR