Austrian auteur Ulrich Seidl visited Bristol in September 2008 as part of ‘Between Heaven and Hell: The Films of Ulrich Seidl’, Watershed’s retrospective of his documentary and feature film work – much of which has never found distribution in the UK.

To mark the release of his 2008 film Import/Export, a confrontational tale of migration and social borders in contemporary Europe, he was invited to attend a screening of the film and engage in a stimulating Q&A with Mark Cosgrove, Watershed’s Head of Cultural Programme.

Ulrich’s work is often labelled as dark, challenging and, on occasion, exploitative. He talks here about the perceived discomfort he creates for an audience when the lines between documentary and fiction are blurred and how he prefers to use real people and real locations wherever possible. This naturalistic approach brings accusations of voyeurism, which the director acknowledges, but counters by discussing how his work is informed by a compassionate and humanistic sensibility.

Translation courtesy of Shirin Packham.

Related links:
Between Heaven and Hell microsite

Posted on Thu 25 Sept 2008.

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