1999 documentary film by Karin Berger

The red fist in the foyer marks Vienna’s Chamber of Labour as a historic achievement of the labour movement. The need for legal representation of workers’ interests in the post-migrant era and a digital present marked by the pandemic shows that this idea is hardly obsolete: the reception desk is always bustling. The clients are diverse, and the services on offer varied: there are few barriers to access them. Friendly interaction and a committed attitude are the order of the day. In the style of participatory observation, Für die Vielen offers cleverly assembled glimpses into the institution’s daily activities, ranging from labour law consultations via team meetings and cultural events to the presentation of economic analyses of wealth distribution. The concept of the welfare state is rendered visible here, just as the picture of a society emerges where social discrimination is commonplace. When preparations to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the chamber’s founding collide with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the internal organisation of crisis mode takes centre stage – and new challenges for the world of work become apparent. The idea must be kept alive, #forever.

A look behind the scenes of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It’s a pleasure to follow the camera on its extended forays through the magnificent halls and well-stocked storage rooms, listening in on the exhibition curators and lingering with interest by the restorers. All those working in the midst of these artistic treasures and portraits are almost on first-name terms with them and their Habsburg benefactors; for some, this stately heritage feels like a ball and chain.
Fulfilling a museum’s lofty duties in the modern day – collection, preservation, research, exhibition and communication – requires good management. As some examine paintings almost tenderly for insect damage, countless meetings revolve around budget planning, marketing campaigns and visits from politicians. The film observes this balancing act between maintaining a time-honoured institution of memory and offering modern cultural services without casting judgement. Only the now retired director of the Collection of Arms and Armour can permit himself to remark that all that smooth marketing talk could equally be applied to toothpaste. And then he feeds brie and walnuts to the pigeons on his office window sill. (Berlinale 2014)