In the heart of Southern Carinthia, a story unfolds that is deeply rooted in a century-old decision. In 1920, like many in the Slovenian community of Carinthia, filmmaker Andrina Mracnikar's grandfather voted for Carinthia to remain within the Republic of Austria, an act of self-determination expected to herald a new era of coexistence for the Slovenian minority. However, the reality that unfolded was starkly different, marking the beginning of a century-long struggle against discrimination. Andrina Mracnikar's latest documentary, DISAPPEARING, bridges a hundred-year gap to explore a narrative scarcely represented in Austria's audiovisual memory. Diving into her family's past and intertwining the personal with the political, Mracnikar paints a poignant family portrait alongside a shrewd historical account. Through interviews with relatives, she brings to life past events, emphasizing the importance of the Slovenian language and the accompanying disadvantages faced by the minority community compared to the majority. Mracnikar, who has previously addressed the impact of National Socialism on the Slovenian population, extends her narrative in DISAPPEARING to trace a journey through a hundred years of Austrian history marked by political neglect and the missed opportunity to embrace the Slovenian language as an invaluable part of Austria.
In her documentary, Mračnikar formulates a political urgency in a personal way: What happens when your mother tongue is taken away from you?
In the heart of Southern Carinthia, a story unfolds that is deeply rooted in a century-old decision. In 1920, like many in the Slovenian community of Carinthia, filmmaker Andrina Mracnikar's grandfather voted for Carinthia to remain within the Republic of Austria, an act of self-determination expected to herald a new era of coexistence for the Slovenian minority. However, the reality that unfolded was starkly different, marking the beginning of a century-long struggle against discrimination.
Andrina Mracnikar's latest documentary, DISAPPEARING, bridges a hundred-year gap to explore a narrative scarcely represented in Austria's audiovisual memory. Diving into her family's past and intertwining the personal with the political, Mracnikar paints a poignant family portrait alongside a shrewd historical account. Through interviews with relatives, she brings to life past events, emphasizing the importance of the Slovenian language and the accompanying disadvantages faced by the minority community compared to the majority.
Mracnikar, who has previously addressed the impact of National Socialism on the Slovenian population, extends her narrative in DISAPPEARING to trace a journey through a hundred years of Austrian history marked by political neglect and the missed opportunity to embrace the Slovenian language as an invaluable part of Austria.