#1: <common.places>

Vienna 1999, 47 min., 16:9

prize: "Innovative Cinema 2000" of the Diagonale, the Austrian Film Festival

German version/ english subtitles; with: Almut Bertha, Veronika Bilger, Aimée Blaskovic, Catrin Bolt, Elisabth Boyer, Meri Dukovski, Elisabeth Dunkler, Ewa Einhorn, Christiane Erharter, Esther Gehring, Karin Grundböck, Sofi Hakansson, Ute Hölzl, Barbara Horvath, Johanna Kirsch, Isabella Kresse, Eva Krivanic, Sabine Marte, Ani Mezaduryan, Sonja Pentke, Monika Platzer, Linda Rukschcio, Maria Schnell, Esther Stocker, Barbara Tinhofer, Natascha Unkart, Vina Yun

#1: <common.places> unites 27 women and their stories about the "normal", everyday harassment any woman might be subjected to in any given situation. This video sets up an immediate confrontation with everyday sexism and, without being stylized or exaggerated, examples are depicted as ongoing violations of boundaries which can happen anywhere and at any time, which women experience in their private spaces, in public and at work. Fiona Rukschcio´s clip-like arrangement of the episodes allows the viewer no chance to escape. Rather than an artfully arranged, symbol-laden fantasy, #1: <common.places> is a clearly structured, undistorted view of reality. Rukschcio dispenses with clichées; she has no need of elaborate, histrionic staging to create tension. Instead of presenting the tip of the iceberg, she provides access to a hidden space devoid of a sensationalistic value, a space which confronts women every day in a patriarchal society based on structures in which males dominate. As Rukschcio describes various situations, the viewer´s shock intensifies with each story, and the sense of unease grows. The conclusion leaves no opportunity to say, "That`s none of my business, it could never happen to me." On the contrary, #1: <common.places> generates a reflection of one´s personal history in the search for these at times barely noticeable cases of harassment in the broadest sense.