In The Upper Room will be released online soon. (2025)

-> Trailer 

             

Every season a little mole visits his blind grandfather, who lives deep underground in a comfortably decorated burrow. As the two grow older their relationship becomes more intense and important questions arise. (Synopsis)

‘In The Upper Room’  is inspired by a special moment, that I experienced with my blind grandfather, when I was a teenager.
Since we lived several hundred kilometers apart, I could visit him only every once in a while. He was a tall, impressive man who loved to tell stories about his life.  The 'Vöslauer Opa', as I called him, had been blind for several years. He usually sat in his big armchair listening to jazzy music. For a hobby he was cracking walnuts, which he would then hand over to friends. As a child, I liked to take advantage of Grandpa's blindness every now and then, pulling faces or silently leaving the room with some stolen nuts in my luggage, while he was talking.
Later, when I was a teenager, I once sat next to him and asked: "Grandpa, do you ever wonder what I look like?  You could touch my hair, if you want!" His answer came promptly and confidently, "I know exactly how you look, Alexander!" It was by then that I realized - Grandpa
could see more than I expected.
This moment still moves me today and inspired me to develop a story around this memory. (Alexander Gratzer)

Awards 

KECSKEMÉT Animation Festival (Hungary) -  Best Script
Primanima Festival Budapest (Hungary) - Grand Prix
Best Austrian Animation Festival (Austria) - Audience Award
Vienna Shorts, Jury Price (Austria) – Best Newcomer  
Kurzfilmsause Freiburg (Germany) – Best Direction
Kurzfilmsause Freiburg (Germany) – Best Animation Film
Cinema Talks (Austria) - Main Price
Cinema Talks (Austria)  – Best Film (Category Entertainment)
Under The Radar (Austria)  – Asifa Austria Award
Prague International Film Festival - Best Animation
Short to the point – Best Animation
Move Summit Animation Forum 2023 (Scotland) – Best Short Film
FIEC (Uruguay) – Best Animation Film
FIEC (Uruguay) – Special Mention Youth Jury
Anibar Animation Festival (Kosovo) – Special Mention
Anima Cordoba (Argentina)– Special Mention
Insomnia (Russia)– Special mention
Student World Impact Film Festival (USA) - Special Mention



Screenings (since March 2022, alphabetical)

4 Seen Film Festival (Germany)
39th edition of the European Film Festival of Lille (France)
7th Chaniartoon 2022 (Greece)
ANNY: Animation Nights New York (USA)
Alexandre Trauner ART/Film Festival (Hungary)
Anibar Animation Film Festival (Kosovo)
Anifilm Liberec (Czech Republic)
"AniFest A'GJIRO" (Estonia)
Anima Cordoba (Argentina)
Animatou (France)
42nd Brussels International Animation Film Festival (Belgium)
Animafest Zagreb (Croatia)
AniMate - Australia Animation Film Festival (Australia)
Animanima (Serbia)
Animatica Saronno (Varese, Italy)
Animateka (Croatia)
Animator Fest (Serbia)
Animist Tallinn (Estonia)
Athens ANIMFEST (Greece)
Anmtn! - Online animation awards (Online)
Brighton International Animation Festival (England)
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS International Film Festival (Poland)
Brooklyn Film Festival (USA)
Busho Filmfestival Budapest (Hungary)
Cinema Talks (Austria)
Cardiff Animation Festival (Wales)
Castel Lagopesole International Short Film Festival (Italy)
Canlandıranlar Animation Film Festival (Turkey)
Constantine's Gold Coin (Serbia)
Cortomontagna - Premio Leggimontagna (Italy)
Diagonale (Austria)
Etiuda&Anima 2023 (Poland)
Fest Anca (Slowakia)
Festival Biennial of Animation Bratislava (Slowakia)
Festival de Nouvelle Comédie (France)
Festival del Cinema di Cefalù (Italiy)
Festival du Film d'Animation de Savigny (Swizzerland)
Festival of Animation Berlin (Germany)
FICBUEU Bueu’s International Film Festival (Spain)
Happy Valley Animation Festival (USA)
KECSKEMÉT Animation Festival (Hungary)
Kurzfilmwoche Regensburg (Germany)
Kurzfilmsause Freiburg – Blackwood Filmfestival (Deutschland)
KidzCINEMA 2022 (India)
Kino Otok – Isola Cinema International Film Festival (Slovenia)
Insomnia International Animation Film Festival (Norway)
INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL GOLDEN KUKER – SOFIA (Bulgaria)
IndieLisboa 2023 (Portugal)
ISFF ŻUBROFFKA (Poland)
IFF ZOOM-ZBLIZENIA 2023 (Poland)
ITFS Stuttgart (Germany)
Juvinale Salzburg (Austria)
Linz International Short Film Festival (Austria)
Linoleum (Ucraine)
Lugano Animation Days(Italy)
Maremetraggio (Italy)
Monstrale (Germany)
MOVE Summit 2023 (Scotland)
New Chitose Film Festival (Japan)
Norwich Film Festival (Uk)
OFF - Odense International Film Festival (Denmark)
One Earth Awards (India)
Pixel Vienna Animation Festival (Austria)
Plons! International Short Documentary Film Festival Leeuwarden (Netherlands)
Premier Plans (France)
Primanima (Hungary)
Pune Short Film Festival (India)
REX Animation Film Festival (Sweden)
Rebentos Film Festival (Portugal)
ROFIFE International Short Film Festival Ankara (Turkey)
SHORT to the Point (Romania)
Stadtlichter Berlin (Germany
Student World Impact Film Festival (USA)
Shortynale (Austria)
streetside cinema/ (USA)
Superfest Disability Film Festival (USA)
Panama Series Festival
Piccolo Festival dell'Animazione (Italy)
Prague International Indie Film Festival (Czech Republic)
Primanima (Hungary)
TIAF - Tbilisi International Animation Festival (Georgia)
TOKO FILM FEST 2023 (Italy)
T-Short Animated film Online Festival
The Paus Premieres Festival (UK)
The Pigeon International Film Festival (PIFF)
Turku Animated Film Festival (Finland)
Under The Radar Festical (Austria)
Uppsala Short Film Festival (Schweden)
VAFI & RAFI - International Children and Youth Animation Film Festival (Croatia)
Vienna Shorts (Austria)