The Waldheim Waltz Waldheims Walzer

“No to Waldheim, no to Waldheim!” chants a crowd of people in the centre of Vienna in 1986. Ruth Beckermann is one of the activists trying to prevent Kurt Waldheim from being elected, documenting the bitter political reality with her camera. More than thirty years later, she uses her footage together with extensive international TV archive material to analyse what marked a turning point in Austria’s political culture. While Waldheim’s attempts to reject the facts and mask the truth stirred revolt, they also effected denial by the Austrian political class and the outbreak of anti-Semitism and patriotism, ultimately resulting in Waldheim's election as President of Austria. Best Documentary Award at Berlinale 2017