Brother Gereon in focus

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Director Hermann Weiskopf, Martin Riederer (Premonstratensian monk at Wilten Abbey) and screenwriter Peter Mair (from left) explain the life of the East Tyrolean martyr Brother Gereon during the Nazi era in an educational film.

(Bild: Reinhold Sigl)

Following the film "Otto Neururer - Hopeful Darkness", director Hermann Weiskopf is now focusing on the story of an East Tyrolean. The target audience is young people.

A good six years ago, Hermann Weiskopf's film about the Tyrolean priest and later martyr Otto Neururer caused a sensation. The story of the heinous Nazi atrocities was dealt with at the time.

This year, a new film will tell another story of suffering. This time it is about the courageous East Tyrolean martyr brother Gereon. Josef Außerlechner, as he was actually called, came from Kartitsch and was deported to the Dachau concentration camp because of his resistance against the Nazis - the "Krone" reported on this in detail last year.

Brother Gereon

(Bild: Stift Wilten/Sigl)

His name was forgotten for years. A young man brought him back to light, as Premonstratensian monk Martin Riederer from Wilten Abbey explains: "He knew Brother Gereon and read out his story on Landhausplatz." This intrigued the clergyman and he made inquiries. As it turned out, three different dates of death were given. Gereon was also accused of laziness: "He was responsible for the garden in the monastery for years and went back to Kartitsch because of his family. There he became a resistance fighter, according to many people."

We want to structure it so that the sequences are short and quick and can be incorporated into lessons.

Drehbuchautor Peter Mair

Modern film to publicize his story
The fact that the story of the martyr's suffering is now being filmed is thanks to a chance meeting between Riederer and director Weiskopf: "He talked about his brother's fate. We were immediately inspired." After a brief brainstorming session with screenwriter Peter Mair, a modern and, above all, exciting story for schoolchildren was created: The film is about a TikTok woman who deals with Gereon and the atrocities committed by the Nazis. Mair explains: "We want to structure it in such a way that the sequences are short and quick and can be incorporated into lessons."

Innsbruck, East Tyrol and Dachau as locations
The film is to be shot in the summer, completed by the end of the year and made available primarily to schools. In addition to Innsbruck, Gereon's home town of Kartitsch and the Dachau concentration camp will also be used as locations. If everything goes according to plan, the film will be released at the same time as a memorial to the Tyrolean victims of the Nazi era in Wilten Abbey on All Souls' Day.