We Recommend: FELIX AUSTRIA!

The U.S.-Austrian co-production Felix Austria!, produced by Christine Beebe (La Turista Films) and Robert Dassanowsky (Belvedere Films), celebrated its world premiere at the 2013 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto on April 27. It is currently presented in the elite World Showcase program, which is the Festival's immensely popular survey of the year's finest non-fiction films from around the world. Felix Austria!  was also eligible for the Audience Award.

Synopsis:

Felix Pfeifle is an exquisite dandy, a consummate gentleman and an expert on fin de siècle aesthetics, Viennese architecture and aristocracy. Suffice to say, there is truly no one like Felix in his home town, the aptly named Modesto, Calif. His fascination with the last living heir to the Holy Roman Empire, the Archduke Otto von Habsburg, takes a fortuitous turn when he inherits a box of correspondence between the Archduke and a mysterious but seemingly ordinary man named Herbert Hinckle. Felix Austria! follows Felix on his serendipitous journey across America to the palaces of Vienna, incorporating beautiful hand-drawn animations with live action documentary. Back at home, Felix’s father suffers from Huntington’s, a fatal degenerative brain disease that Felix has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting. Christine Beebe’s feature film debut is an unforgettable, unique exploration of destiny, dreams and identity that transcends place and time. By Lynne Crocker

See more information on the film at: http://www.felixaustriafilm.com or http://www.hotdocs.ca//film/title/felix_austria