Heimito and the Doderers (2016)

An unconventional documentary about Heimito von Doderer (1896-1966), who fifty years ago was considered one of the most famous writers in the German-speaking world. His novel 'The Strudlhof Steps' became a bestseller and was translated in many languages. After his death he quickly fell out of favor - but today has again found a sizeable following of readers and fans. In our documentary it is not so much the usual literary experts but primarily the Doderer family itself by which we learn about the writer's life and literary output. Our main protagonist is Imogena Doderer, the youngest of Heimito's great-nieces, who works as a TV journalist in Vienna. Rather sceptical in the beginning, she goes on a quest to find out more about her famous ancestor who she never met. She asks members of her family in Austria, Germany, and Italy, some of whom still remember the writer personally. She leafs through photo albums, looks at letters and memorabilia, listens to anecdotes and family myths. At the same time, she also finds out more about her own origin. Her mother comes from a family of peasants, very different from the Doderers who always saw themselves as aristocrats. Our documentary, on the surface a literary biography, deals very much with the question of 'family'. Before World War I, the Doderers were one of the richest families in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Heimito pretended to hate family, but was still dependent on it, financially and emotionally, for most of his life.