Cast

ANTON NOORI, SONJA ROMEI, THOMAS MRAZ

OLIVIA GOSCHER, MARYA EL GMATI, PAULINE HIRSCH-STRONSTORFF

Producers

ALFIE ÁNGEL, VICTORIA HERBIG, STEFAN LANGTHALER, MARTIN WINTER

Writer

STEFAN LANGTHALER

Directors

MARTIN WINTER, STEFAN LANGTHALER

Production Manager

VICTORIA HERBIG

Director of Photography

ARAM BAROIAN

Production Design

LUCÍA FRÍAS

Costume Design

MARLENE PLEYL

Make-Up Artists

ANA-ALICIA BAMMER, FLAVIA WILFERT

Sound Recordists

MARKUS ORTNER

RAPHAEL ORTNER

Script & Continutity

ALFIE ÁNGEL

Gaffers

MARTIN NEFE, JAN POLLAK, JAKOB FLOSDORFF

1st Assistant Camera

PHILIPP WINDSOR-TOPOLSKY

2nd Assistant Camera

CARLOTTA CLODI

Production Assistants

CLELIA VILLAREAL, JULIA SCHEIWEIN

Editor

MARTIN WINTER

Sound Design

TJANDRA WARSOSUMARTO

Mixing

CHRIS KUCHNER

Color Grading

FRANZ BRANDL

17th Santa Fe International Film Festival, USA

Narrative Short Jury Award 

Oscar®-qualified for 99th Academy Awards 2027

20th Lucca Film Festival, Italy

Best Short Film

14th NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, USA

Best International Short Film Drama

Best Performance Drama (Sonja Romei)

12th Beeston Film Festival, UK

Best in Festival

Best International Drama 

21st Myrtle Beach International Film Festival, USA

Best Foreign Short 

Best Director

Best Actress (Sonja Romei) 

53rd Festival de Cine de Cartagena, Spain

Best Directing

50th FILMETS Badalona Film Festival, Spain

Best Actress (Sonja Romei)

13th Silk Road International Film Festival, Ireland

Best Short Live Action 

11th Boston Short Film Festival, USA

Best Narrative Short Film

52nd Festival of Nations, Austria

Best Actress (Sonja Romei), Best Austrian Film

15th Asti International Film Festival, Italy

Audience Award

5th Festival Internacional de Cine de Granada PREMIOS LORCA, Spain

Best International Short Film

8th Festival Internacional de Cine de Pilar de la Horadada CORTOPILAR, Spain

Best International Short Film

8th Yerevan Short Film Festival, Armenia

Grand Prix for the Best Film

17th Festival de Cortometrajes Europeos Villamayor de Cine!, Spain

Best Foreign Language Film

8th Festival Internacional Signos da Noite – Lisbon, Portugal

Signs Award (International Jury)

22nd Festival international Signes de Nuit – Paris, France

Grand Prix (Student Jury)

5th Butoni Film Fest, Spain

Best Short Film

17th GOSH! Film Festival, France

Best Actor (Anton Noori) 

14th FICBC Festival International de Cinema Balneario Camboriu, Brazil

Golden Owl Best Performance (Cast of Nightfaces) 

21st BuSho Film Festival, Hungary

Special Mention

76th Montecatini International Short Film Festival, Italy 

Best Editing 

15th Weyauwega International Film Festival, USA

Honorable Mention

9th CityBlue Films Festival - Festival Internacional de Cine de Vigo, Spain

Special Mention

17th SHORT to the Point, Romania 

Best Leading Actress (Sonja Romei)

Genre

DRAMA

Production Country

AUSTRIA, GERMANY, SPAIN

Completion Date 

JANUARY, 2024

Country of Filming

AUSTRIA (VIENNA, LOWER AUSTRIA)

Original Language

GERMAN

Subtitles

ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, ITALIAN, GERMAN

Camera

ARRI ALEXA MINI

Lenses

ARRI MASTER PRIME

Shooting Format

DIGITAL ARRI RAW 3,6K

Screening Format

DCP 2K, PRO RES 422HQ

Aspect Ratio

1:2,39

Sound Mix

5.1, Stereo

Film Color

COLOR

Production Budget

25.000 EUR

Fundings

AUSTRIAN FEDERAL MINISTRY FOR ARTS, CULTURE, THE CIVIL SERVICES AND SPORT

CITY OF VIENNA | STATE OF LOWER AUSTRIA

Martin Winter and Stefan Langthaler

1. How did the idea for "NIGHTFACES" come about?

"Since we are two directors our brainstorming process was much about our cinematic needs - visual ideas, certain moods, appealing settings. But we also immediately agreed that we wanted to thematize current social issues. In 2022 inflation was already skyrocketing and more and more people were feeling existential fears. That's why it was important for us to have a main character who was in a precarious life situation. This quickly led to the desire to set the story at night, as the harshness of working life becomes even more apparent in the dark. Many people don't work at night because they want to, but because they can't help it. It was very important to us to reflect on this fact."

2. What was the pivotal moment in developing the story?

"We sketched out our script idea and very quickly Stefan had written the first version. But Martin was never one hundred percent satisfied with the idea. That's why we decided to think more fundamentally about the story. We did this in a park. And while we were sitting there, a group of homeless people, who were obviously drug addicts, walked past us. Stefan then asked: 'What would happen if a homeless person got into Mahan's taxi?' From that moment on, the plot wrote itself. But in all its heaviness, NIGHTFACES is intended to give a spark of hope."

3. How did you form your directing duo?

"We graduated at filmcollege Vienna together from 2008-2012. So we've known each other for a long time and are close friends. During our studies and afterwards, we worked together on our own projects or those of our fellow students in various constellations. As we always did this with great pleasure and mutual appreciation, we had been wanting to direct together for some time."

4. What was your division of labour on set?

"We worked so intensively and closely together in all areas that you can hardly speak of a division. We made all decisions together and had heated discussions when necessary. It can get quite loud between us at times, but never on a level that would be hurtful to either of us. It's simply about the matter at hand and sometimes it's necessary to stick to your guns and make sure you make the best decision for the story."

5. When and how was the film produced?

"We shot over seven consecutive nights in Vienna and Lower Austria in April 2023. The film was financed entirely by public funding but was only possible because we've been surrounded by outstanding talent since our student days who offered their skills free of charge. Nobody - not even our actors - earned anything for this film; on the contrary, everyone put their heart and soul into it and gave their best."

6. Why was the night setting so important visually?

"The night reveals a face of the city that often remains hidden in daylight. For Mahan, it means going to work when his family goes to bed. Many people don't work at night because they want to, but because they can't help it. The harshness of working life becomes even more apparent in the dark. But there is also something beautiful about the night in general. Darkness falls over the city, illuminating the artificial lights and transforming the familiar streets and squares into almost mystical places."

7. What challenges did you face shooting at night?

"Shooting outdoors at night brings with it uncontrollable circumstances. In our case, we had to shoot in low temperatures and sometimes heavy rain showers. As we always had to be mobile and therefore used little artificial light, the camera concept had to be geared towards this. The lenses had to be very bright and we had to make sure there was suitable light available when choosing the location. Our cameraman Aram Baroian has a very experienced eye for these circumstances and was able to create a very intimate atmosphere with the help of the available light and targeted light sources. Our characters often act in semi-darkness, in different lighting moods and with a variety of light sources and colors that get caught up in their faces. And of course the rain has played its part, reflecting the light in its wet streets and surfaces, but also the cold, which causes the windows to fog up and thus refracts the light differently again and makes the colors blend. So it was a visual stroke of luck that we caught one of the heaviest downpours in Vienna in recent years during our filming period, and at the same time highly unpleasant for everyone involved."

8. How did you cast your brilliant actors?

"We envisioned "Mahan" with Anton Noori in mind, whose performance in Cops impressed us deeply. When he immediately accepted after reading the script, it was a wonderful moment that energized the entire team. He brought profound empathy and emotional complexity to Mahan—better than we could have ever hoped.

Sonja Romei on the other hand was a real stroke of luck. Another actress had to cancel due to Covid just before shooting, throwing production into chaos. Sonja was contacted spontaneously, liked the script, and—despite her doubts about the demanding role—dived in with great sensitivity. When she found her way into the character, she saved the film.

Thomas Mraz, a longtime friend of Sonja, had joined earlier. We wanted him for "Robert" because he could avoid clichés and portray a man struggling between love and helplessness toward his ex-wife. Thomas captured this inner conflict beautifully and gave the role genuine depth."

9. What makes "NIGHTFACES" special?

"We wanted to depict the reality of people who are often underrepresented – night workers in precarious situations. Not as victims, but resilient individuals enduring for their families. The night setting reveals universal human connections across divides. And perhaps a film in which two people shaken by fate meet by chance and become allies against their will can make tangible what humanity is at its core."

10. What’s next after more than 60 festivals and so many awards?

"The global embrace has been overwhelming, especially the Oscar-qualification via Santa Fe. Together with the many positive responses by the audiences, the fond memories of filming with our highly talented team and cast, and this deeply moving story featuring two such extraordinary lead characters – all of this has led us to start work on a NIGHTFACES feature film. The story isn’t over yet, Mahan and Sabine aren’t ready to leave the big screen just yet. "