Wenn du Angst hast, nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst

Feature Film, AT 2025, DCP, 87 min, Omd/eU (CC) + VI

Twelve-year-old Anna transfers from secondary school to a posh, college-prep school in Vienna’s city center. While she previously enjoyed a carefree, albeit financially troubled existence with her deaf mother in Floridsdorf, she is now thrown into a life of prestige and status. Marie Luise Lehner not only paints a sensitive portrait of a young woman who must overcome shame about her origins but also traces the highs and lows of a mother-daughter relationship.

Director: Marie Luise Lehner
Script: Marie Luise Lehner
Cast: Siena Popović, Mariya Menner, Jessica Paar
Camera: Simone Hart
Editor: Jana Libnik, Joana Scrinzi, Alexandra Schneider
Location Sound: Ines Vorreiter
Sounddesign: Lenja Gathmann
Production Design: Julia Libiseller, Gerald Freimuth
Costumes: Marlene Auer-Pleyl
Additional Credits: Regieassistenz: Marco Antoniazzi; Casting: Martina Poel; Kindercoaching: Karin Eva Meisel; Oberbeleuchter: Alex Sprenger; Colour Grading: Manuel Portschy; Produktionsleitung: Catrin Freundlinger, Veronika Hraby; Herstellungsleitung: Katharina Posch
Producers: Katharina Posch, Michael Kitzberger, Wolfgang Widerhofer, Markus Glaser, Nikolaus Geyrhalter
Production: NGF – Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion
Funded by: ÖFI – Österreichisches Filminstitut
ÖFI+
FFW – Filmfonds Wien
ORF Film/Fernseh-Abkommen
World Premiere: Berlinale Forum 2025
Austrian Premiere: Diagonale '25
Production format: digital