Land of Valleys:
The other Mühlviertel

 

 
    In The Other Mühlviertel Niki List portrays the
region unique development over the course of
four seasons - between organic farming, sheep
breeding and arts and crafts, in small, manageable
segments.

The Mühlviertel is a marginal area, of poor
farmland and social problems, but also a strip
of land where people are learning to use their
specific qualities and opportunities. "The other
Mühlviertel" is - like the previous episodes of
"Land of Valleys" - an unconventional
documentary without voice-over commentary;
the Mühlviertelers speak for themselves.

The locals are said to be stubborn, even pig-
headed, that may not be voiced but is there
nonetheless. Over centuries this small strip of
countryside became the plaything of various
powerful interests. Armies and peoples made their
way through the Mühlviertel; the Mühlviertelers
were at one time under the rule of the Habsburgs
and then of the Bavarians. Still, the residents of
the region have retained their identity.

The industrial recovery of the sixties drew the
young generation to the urban centers, and
commuting is still an everyday reality for many
Mühlviertelers. But this is beginning to change.
People are being drawn back to the beauty of the
world close to home, to the practice of traditional
crafts, using the natural resources of the region.

The people portrayed in The Other Mühlviertel are
those who do not want to leave, those trying to
mobilize the assets of the region to give it a new
face and a new future. Between organic farming,
sheep farming and the arts and crafts industry,
they are spinning out a wide network of divers
initiatives.
 Director:
Niki List

Screenplay:
Niki List

Camera:
Peter Roehsler

Editing:
Niki List