maria Petschnig
Writer, Producer, Director
Maria Petschnig is an award-winning Austrian-born, New York City-based artist and filmmaker whose work explores themes of memory, voyeurism, and privacy. Known for her psychologically charged and often uncomfortable imagery, Petschnig challenges viewers’ perceptions of intimacy and spectatorship. She has made twenty-plus experimental films, and in 2021, she released her first documentary, UNCOMFORTABLY COMFORTABLE, which follows a houseless man living in his car in New York City. The film premiered at the Duisburger Filmwoche and won the ARTE Documentary Award.
Her new feature narrative BEAUTIFUL AND NEAT ROOM is inspired by her own experiences of cohabitating with other people, having shared her living space with more than 60 roommates over the course of 22 years. At its premiere at the 30th STFF International Split Film Festival in Croatia, it received the Grand Prix award.