Films by Katja Duregger

Germany 2022, 416 min
by Lorenza Castella, André Schäfer, Francesca D’Amicis, Katja Duregger

On this journey, we find out more about the Italian soul through the culinary culture of its people. From Piedmont to Apulia, our protagonists invite us to take a peek into their kitchens.Far from the bustling tourist hotspots, we look at the soul of Italy and find out more about the country through its culinary culture. Each episode is a journey of discovery that intrigues and inspires. Various protagonists offer us a personal glimpse of their everyday lives and invite us to visit their most sacred place: the kitchen. The recipes and ingredients reflect the culture of the country and are flavoured with the spectacular scenery of the individual regions. From the varied backdrops of Alpine peaks and plains, vineyards, national parks and the Piedmont lakes, the journey takes us to Tuscany and the coastal region around Livorno, where food cultures from the last seven centuries come together and wine-growing is considered the work of heroes. In the deep south, we travel through Apulia. The region that forms the heel of Italy’s boot is one huge fruit and vegetable patch where all the ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine grow in abundance. With its rich vegetation, Sicily has a bit of Africa, Arabia, Byzantium and Athens, a little Rome and even a touch of Spain. Ancient orchards, olive groves and plantations of prickly pears show themselves in all their magnificence.

Germany 2017, 52 min
by Katja Duregger

Ella Fitzgerald’s voice is a phenomenon and unrivalled to this day. She had absolute pitch and perfect intonation. Ella’s voice spanned three octaves, her phrasing seemed effortless, and the odd moments in her nearly sixty-year career when she sang off-key were few and far between. There is almost no style of music in which she did not excel, and her numerous – now legendary – recordings of the ‘Great American Songbook’ with pieces by US composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter or Duke Ellington remained a benchmark for the ‘right’ interpretation of those songs for generations of singers. Ira Gershwin is rumoured to have said: “I didn’t realise how good our songs were until Ella sang them.” We unravel the secret of Ella Fitzgerald’s voice with statements from singers Dianne Reeves and Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington, jazz violinistRegina Carter, author Tad Hershorn and the famous jazz critic Will Friedwald, among others. They describe the impact her voice had and continues to have on their lives. We want to learn more about Ella’s life and find out what made her sing the inimitable way she sang.

2016, 52 min
by Katja Duregger

In the age of global economic and banking crises, management culture gives rise to countless questions. The seemingly aloof parallel world of countless bosses and the behaviour of many managers – illustrated by animated sequences in this film – make us think. On this visual level of reflection there is one dominant element in addition to monitors and retractable arms: the triangle as the so-called dark triad of Machiavellism, narcissism and psychopathy. An analytical look at individuals in high positions and the system highlights the difference between managers and leaders as well as the character traits required to be successful as a natural leader in our current system. But what is to be or can be regarded as success?The collected answers of the seven psychology, management, sociology and consulting experts interviewed here suggest that we are not only facing a crisis of economic growth but also a crisis of values, ethics and morals. (DOK Leipzig, Nadja Rademacher)

2015, 52 min
by Katja Duregger

April 7, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915-1959). A worthy occasion to honour the unforgettable jazz icon.Her life was a roller-coaster ride and has since been the subject of countless myths, legends and rumours. She found true happiness only in music. She lived for jazz and gave it all she had to give. She loved to associate and perform with musicians. The rest of her life was characterised by pain, humiliation, an unquenchable thirst for love, depression and despair. In recent years, an increasing number of records and stories about her have come to light. Many of them stem from people who accompanied Billie Holiday at different stages of her life. Comments from confidants, acquaintances and friends call into question many of the myths and reveal a strong personality, a woman who was anything but a pitiful victim of drugs, alcohol, men, skin colour and racial segregation or the circumstances under which she grew up. This new appreciation of “Lady Day” has never before been revealed in a film. It focuses – visually and acoustically – on stories told by people she was close to, refutes many of the myths that surround her personality, and presents a very different, far more realistic portrait of this jazz icon.

Germany 2011, 45 min
by Peter Scharf, Katja Duregger

A dead soldier's blood-soaked t-shirt; a nun kissing a priest; a gaunt young man with AIDS; all were images used by the fashion label Benetton to advertise its clothing in the 90s. The provocative campaign was the work of Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani, a man who brought topics such as war, racism, the death penalty, and the misery of refugees into the business of advertising. His posters set off a storm of indignation throughout the world; in many places they were banned. Toscani's “Reverse Psychology Marketing” challenges the intelligence and the consciousness of its audience; rather than praising products and tempting people to buy, it seeks to enlighten. The Rage of Images examines the now 68-year-old artist and pioneer of anti-advertising whose career began with fashion shoots for labels such as Fiorucci, Armani and Esprit. It also looks at the private man who broke with Benetton in 2001 and now works independently, designing ad campaigns that go far beyond the mainstream.