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In a valley in the Ukrainian Carpathian forest lies the small and forgotten town of Königsfeld. In 1775, the Habsburg Queen, Maria Theresa, sent a hundred foresters and their families here from the Austrian west of the kingdom. All that remains today of the now over two century-old timber industry are factory ruins, potholes in the valley road and an increasingly seldom heard German dialect. Only a few factories survived a flood that cut the village off from the rest of the world, and left it economically isolated. An atmosphere of farewell hangs heavy in the air. Lukas Pitscheider accompanied four villagers over a period of three years to record the different decisions they made, from the hope of emigration to the dream of ski tourism in the local mountains. Carried by an enchanting tonal universe and full of Austrian charm, the film explores the rough yet warm life amidst the Ukrainian mountains. (Zurich Film Festival)
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