Das geheime Stockwerk
Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Karli moves with his family to the Alps, where his parents are renovating a once-grand hotel in Bad Gastein. Exploring the empty corridors during summer break, he discovers that an old freight elevator, when stopped on a hidden intermediate floor, takes him back to 1938.
There he befriends the Jewish girl Hannah and the young shoeshiner Georg. When Georg is wrongly accused of theft, the three children set out to find the real culprit — and Karli, who knows what is coming for Hannah and her family, must decide how much of the future he can reveal.
Pixable Role
VFX vendor · Service
Scope of Work
Set enhancements · set replacements · screen replacements · animated elevator scenes · bluescreens · rotoscoping · title design and animation for opener credits
Production Partners
Kevin Lee Filmgesellschaft, Amour Fou Vienna, Amour Fou Luxembourg
Director
Norbert Lechner
Writers
Antonia Rothe-Liermann, Katrin Milhahn
Producer
Alexander Dumreicher-Ivanceanu, André Fetzer, Norbert Lechner, Bady Minck (producers); Philipp Grandits (line producer)
Key Crew
Composer: Martin Unterberger.
Cinematographer: Daniela Knapp.
Editors: Lianne Kotte; Andreas Baltschun (additional editing).
Casting Director: Bady Minck.
Production Designer: Christina Schaffer.
Art Director: Antoinette Höring.
Costume Designer: Uli Simon.
Production Manager: Karoline Maes.
Cast
Silas John (Karli), Annika Benzin (Hannah), Marie Jung (Susi), Tobias Resch (Bruno),
Marc Limpach (Dr. Friedländer), Fritz Karl (Lucas), André Jung (Hoteldirektor Schneider),
Maximilian Simonischek (Otto Hartwig), Fanny Altenburger (Zimmermädchen Rosa),
Marlene Hauser (Almuth Hartwig), Franz Buchrieser (Pepes Urgrossvater),
Lea Freund (Sarah), Martin Weinek (Inspektor Hainbichler), Dominik Warta (Concierge),
Ben Winkler (Hermann), Daniel Hasler (Schuljunge), Moritz Hohlrieder (Pepe),
Konstantin Horn (Heinrich), Maximilian Reinwald (Georg), Oliver Rosskopf (Lucas)
Funding
with support from MDM (using pxbl as regional effect)
Distribution
farbfilm Verleih / Filmwelt (Germany)
Awards & Festivals
3 wins and 6 nominations total,
Giffoni Film Festival 2025 - Best Film,
Sedona International Film Festival - Best Feature Drama,
Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth - Best Feature Film for Children
Themes
National Socialism · persecution of Jews · time travel · friendship · history seen through a child's eyes
Production Notes
Produced under sustainable production conditions and awarded the Austrian Ecolabel (Österreichisches Umweltzeichen) for environmentally friendly film production.
