Q&A with Filmmaker Bernhard Wenger following the screening of PEACOCK.
This screening is presented with the support of the Goethe-Institut and the German Currents Film Festival, and AMONG FRIENDS – UNTER FREUNDEN, a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship.
PEACOCK | PFAU - BIN ICH ECHT? Writer-Director Bernhard Wenger Cinematography Albin Wildner Editor Rupert Höller Cast Albrecht Schuch, Julia Franz Richter, Anton Noori, Salka Weber, Theresa Frostad Eggsbø Producers Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Markus Glaser, Michael Kitzberger, Wilfgang Widerhofer Co-producer Martina Haubrich Production Company Nikolaus Geyrhalterfilm in coproduction with CALA Filmproduktion GmbH
At MyCompanion, the cultured and confident Matthias (Albrecht Schuch) is available – for a reasonable fee – to fill any social role you desire. Handsome, well-mannered, and the ideal companion for all social situations, Matthis plays all roles from ‘the perfect son’ to the ‘enlightened boyfriend’, or even ‘pilot dad’ to impress your classmates at Bring Your Parent to School Day. But while Matthias is at the top of his professional game, his relationship with his partner Sophia (Julia Franz Richter) and personal life begin to crumble as he detaches from his own identity and burrows deeper into his fictitious lives. Can Matthias dive deep enough within himself to find the answer to who he really is? Schuch’s sincere performance and at times deadpan comic timing embody the tension and desperation within Matthias as he navigates through his many lives. Wenger’s multi-award-winning debut feature is a biting and hilarious social satire about the masks we wear in the pursuit of human connection.
NOMINATIONS & AWARDS Venice Film Festival 2024 Winner: Award Bisato d’oro for Best Director, Award of the FAI Fondation Persona Ambiente Lavoro, Settimana Internazionale della Critica Stockholm IFF 2024 Best Debut Feature Les Arcs Film Festival 2024 Audience Award, Youth Jury Prize - Special Mention Dublin IFF 2025 Dublin Film Critics Circle Award Best Actor Albrecht Schuch Festival International Music & Cinema Marseille 2025 Best Directing Independent Film Festival Boston 2025 Audience Award Bunte 2025 New Faces Award for Best Debut Film Cinéma Européen Festival Vannes 2025 Best Feature Film Austrian Film Award 2025 Best Actor Albrecht Schuch
Bernhard Wenger was born 1992 in Salzburg, Austria. He currently lives in Vienna, where he studied directing at the Vienna Film Academy. He loves to work with subtle, odd and visual humor. His short film EXCUSE ME, I'M LOOKING FOR THE PING-PONG ROOM AND MY GIRLFRIEND was awarded Best Short Film at the Austrian Film Awards 2019. PEACOCK, his debut feature film was developed in the Cinéfondation Residence of the 73rd Festival de Cannes 2020, and premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival 2024. Austria’s Official submission to the 98th Academy Awards® – BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
The German Currents Film Festival 2025 is a co-production of the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles and the American Cinematheque, with the support of The Friends of Goethe, ELMA, Condor, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles, go-international, Tupetz Wine Connection, Paulaner USA, Paulaner Sunset, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., the German Film Office, our media partners Deutsche Welle, KPFK Radio, Campus Circle, our educational outreach partners Creating Creators, and in cooperation with the German Consulate General in Los Angeles.
Presented as part of AMONG FRIENDS – UNTER FREUNDEN, a campaign of the Goethe-Institut USA to celebrate and strengthen transatlantic friendship.
