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Land of Valleys:
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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 |