Collection

Michael Haneke Collection at the Austrian Film Museum

The Michael Haneke Collection is composed of items of various provenance. The largest share stems from Haneke's personal archive. The second, smaller part comes from production companies Wega Film (Vienna), Les Films du Losange (Paris) and mk2 (Paris). The holdings were supplemented by Haneke-related materials which were already part of the documentation collection of the Film Museum.
 
This extensive body of material currently consists of over 1700 dossiers categorized and arranged by subject matter. Shortly after arriving at the Film Museum, the objects were entered into a database and described in detail. The database allows for precise research and is consulted by international scholars and authors of books on Haneke on a regular basis.

Screenplay (Director's notes), "Das weiße Band", Signatur: 270
Beginning with the earliest documents relating to Haneke's television work in the 1970s, the collection extends to the present day and continues to grow with the inclusion of recent materials following each new production. It encompasses Haneke's entire oeuvre, i.e., his film and television productions as well as his work as a theater director.

Amongst other items, the holdings include handwritten notes outlining the earliest stage of film ideas, working notes on different versions of individual works, scripts, storyboards, production records, distribution materials and an extensive documentation of the films' reception. The reception history can be reconstructed based on comprehensive press clippings related to festival participation. A core element of these holdings are Haneke's annotated scripts, directly illustrating his meticulous working methods. 

The collection contains further fascinating and lesser-known strands of Haneke's work, such as his critical writings and his Paris and Madrid opera productions. These written records are complemented by a significant array of unpublished stills and on-set photographs, as well as film posters and poster designs that never saw realization, which constitute valuable additional iconographic sources.

File cards with notices, "Benny's Video", Signatur: 57