Erik & Erika

Movie
Original title	Erik & Erika
Country of production	Austria , Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	2018
Rod
Director	Reinhold Bilgeri
script	Dirk Kämper
production	Tommy Pridnig , ; Peter Wirthensohn , ; Michael Souvignier , ; Till Derenbach
music	Raimund Hepp
camera	Carsten Thiele
cut	Karin Hartusch
occupation
	Markus Freistätter : Erik / a ; Birgit Melcher : Mother Schinegger; Gerhard Liebmann : Father Schinegger; Anna Posch : Monika Schinegger; Lili Epply : Christa; Marianne Sägebrecht : Sigberta; Harald Schrott : Dr. Kübler; Johannes Seilern : Dr. Ramsauer; Cornelius Obonya : Dr. Fisherman; Rainer Wöss : Dr. Mosshardter; Helmut Bohatsch : Dr. Losbach; Hary Prinz : Martin Wimmer; Sarah Born : Marga Weims; Ulrike Beimpold : Liesel Sumatter; August Schmölzer : Hubert Grassl; Stefan Matousch : Pastor; Hans-Maria Darnov : village doctor; Franz Weichenberger : Mayor; Manuel Sefciuc : Salesman; Rafael Schuchter : coach ÖSV men;

Erik & Erika (also: Erik. World Champion ) is a feature film by Reinhold Bilgeri from 2018 . The Austrian - German co-production with Markus Freistätter in the role of Erik Schinegger premiered on February 23, 2018, and the film was released in Austrian cinemas on March 2, 2018.

action

The biography tells the story of the Carinthian ski racer Erik Schinegger , who in 1966 became Erika Schinegger downhill world champion at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Portillo , Chile . Erika Schinegger is celebrated by the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) and is regarded as the great hope of the next generation of the ÖSV. Before the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble , new medical examinations established that she is genetically a man. Born intersex , Erika was prematurely declared a girl at birth.

Everyone involved is overwhelmed by the discovery. The Austrian Ski Association is pushing for an adjustment operation on a woman, who should be operated on as a “real” girl. Because then she could keep her medal and everything would be fine again, the association would be fine. The parents cannot give a footing and can hardly understand, Erik or Erika is on his own. There is also the suspicion that she and the association deliberately cheated, that the ÖSV tried to cover up everything. Your career ends abruptly at the age of 19. She is undergoing an operation and has been called Erik ever since.

Production and Background

One of the locations: the parish church of St. Urban near Feldkirchen

The shooting took place from March to April 2017 in Carinthia , Vienna and Innsbruck . Filming locations included Sankt Urban and the surrounding area, the Gerlitzen ski area and Lavamünd . 600 small actors and extras were wanted for the film.

The production was supported by the Austrian Film Institute , the Vienna Film Fund , Filmstandort Austria (FISA), the State of Carinthia and the Bavarian FilmFernsehFonds . The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation and the Südwestrundfunk were involved . The film was produced by the Austrian Lotus Film , co-producer was the German Zeitsprung Pictures . Roman Schwarz was responsible for the sound, Brigitta Fink for the costume design and Bertram Reiter for the production design.

Hollywood was originally interested in a film adaptation, in 2011 James Franco was traded as a possible leading actor, but those responsible decided against the project. The film was submitted for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2019 Golden Globe Awards .

reception

Barbara Petsch wrote in the daily newspaper Die Presse : "The film is just right, on the one hand to the victories at the Olympic Games, on the other hand to the allegations of sexual and other abuse in the Austrian Ski Association" and judged: "A successful film that reminds us how liberality and tolerance have developed further in just a few decades. "

The first broadcast on ORF on January 6, 2020 was followed by up to 752,000 and an average of 721,000 viewers, the market share was 21 percent.