Theresa Ebner-Lazek

In “The Naked Empress”, the Sissi myth serves as the starting point for a Vienna thriller that combines a mysterious criminal case with a disastrous curse. While inspector Alexander Haller relies on his investigative instincts, his partner Nikolai Falk has to overcome irrational fears. Screenwriter Nils-Morten Osburg uses the admiration for the Habsburg monarch, who, out of vanity, did not allow herself to be photographed for decades, as the background for a sophisticated story about a photograph that should never have been taken.

Philipp Hochmair, the newly appointed special investigator, and his partner Andreas Guenther immerse themselves in the equally dazzling and twilight world of the Prater showmen in the sixth "Vienna thriller". To solve the murder of a strikingly successful businessman, the opposing duo must not only uncover his secrets, but also get a tight-knit circle of suspects to speak up.

In Mödling, a small town near Vienna, girls between the ages of 18 and 20 have been disappearing without a trace at ever shorter intervals for the past 13 years. Residents are worried and accuse the police of incompetence. In this environment of fear and mistrust, the 19-year-old schoolgirl Jeanny meets the mysterious but charming tax consultant Johannes, which initially has something threatening about it. But Johannes sees more in Jeanny than just an innocent girl. And he gives Jeanny, who lost her father at a young age, support and recognition. He helps her to pass the Matura, he awakens her self-confidence and gives her the appreciation that she misses. An unusual love grows between the two, which is initially kept secret from everyone. As she is drawn deeper and deeper into the whirl of her feelings, the aggressive climate in the town continues to escalate. A militia is formed. Jeanny is becoming increasingly insecure. Can she really trust Johannes?

Joana and Valentin Dorek are a married couple going through a crisis. This prompts them to take a trial session with a couple’s therapist. In the therapist’s consulting room they start off with their standard programme: she won’t stop talking and he isn’t even listening. The broken communication between the couple is a real challenge for the therapist. He is almost at his wits’ end when his mobile rings and a surprising message brings chaos into their therapy session.

Harri Pinter, 46, has his best days behind him, not only on the outside: in the 80s, the notorious "drecksau" won the Klagenfurt ice-skating team KAC its master title. As trainer of the youth team, he likes to reminisce about his past successes in dim bars drinking beer. When his longtime girlfriend Ines risks making the break with an university professor, his worldview and self-perception starts to falter...