“Murer: Anatomy of a Trial” Post-Film Discussion with Director Christian Frosch and Producer Viktoria Salcher

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Rodef Shalom Congregation and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, is excited to offer the opportunity to watch the film “Murer: Anatomy of a Trial” and engage in a post-film discussion with the film director, Christian Frosch, and film producer, Viktoria Salcher. CWB scholar Avi Ben-Hur will open the discussion.
Educators attending this program are eligible to receive Pennsylvania Act 48 continuing education credits.

On the basis of original records, “Murer: Anatomy of a Trial” reconstructs the 1963 proceedings against Franz Murer, a wealthy Austrian farmer with a sterling reputation, that took place in Graz.

This respected local politician and family man was in charge of the Vilnius Ghetto from 1941 to 1943, where its residents called him the “Butcher of Vilnius.” Solely 600 of the 80,000 Jews who originally lived there survived Nazi rule.

Survivors came from around the world to testify at the trial, leaving little doubt of Murer’s guilt. This resulted in one of the most serious scandals of Austria’s Second Republic for which the justice system, press and governmental policy were responsible.

In an era of nationalism on the rise and less reserve in the face of ideologies that supposedly were defeated long ago, the Murer case is depressingly topical. The film shows how little weight truth and justice possess when competing with the interests of political power.

Viktoria Salcher

After graduating from tourism college and working all kinds of short-term jobs, Viktoria Salcher – born in Vienna, Austria, in November 1967 – started working as the assistant for the producer Gabriele Walther at Caligari Films in Munich, Germany, in 1988. In 1991 and 1992, they produced sitcoms in Berlin. In 1993, Viktoria moved to Vienna and worked until 1996 with Hans Hurch on “hundertjahrekino,” a project celebrating one hundred years of cinema. After some time with the art curator Lioba Redekker, she started working as production manager and vice general manager at the Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Films. In 2004 and 2005, she worked as a freelance project manager/producer and some months at Allegro Film as producer. In 2005, Viktoria Salcher was the General Manager of the Schauspielhaus Vienna. In 2008, Mathias Forberg asked her to be general manager and producer at Prisma Film and Fernsehproduction and they have worked together since then.

Christian Frosch

Click here to read Christian’s filmography.