Walter L. (20') is the result of several years of intensive collaboration between film director Barbara Wolfram and social scientist Paulus Wagner. As part of his doctoral research (Sciences Po Paris), Paulus conducted in-depth biographical interviews with over 150 manual workers in Austria and Germany, exploring their views on work, politics, and right-wing populism. This research served to inspire several screenplays for short feature films, written in collaboration with and directed by Barbara during the artistic research project Building Bridges in Polarized Societies at Film Academy Vienna/ mdw, funded by the City of Vienna. Released in 2025, Walter premiered at the Austrian Film Festival (Diagonale) and received the Jury's special mention, i.a., for the well-researched screenplay.
The film dives into the everyday experience of lorry drivers during the transformations taking place in freight companies and the logistics sector. During the development of the screenplay, the authors were not only able to rely on social scientific interviews, but moreover visited truck stops, spoke with drivers and logistics companies, and retraced trucking routes. They closely examined the transformations taking place in freight companies and the logistics sector in Vienna. Again and again, they heard stories of change, frustration, and uncertainty—but also of a love for the job and a sense of pride and purpose. Trucks are needed every day, and the industry stands at the crossroads of three major transformations of our time: digitalisation, the climate crisis, and globalisation. The script for Walter L. ultimately emerged from this research.
While the film aims to spark debate on the connections between labour and politics—and the urgent need to build bridges across social divides - the project moreover works to strike a bridge between the arts and the social sciences. Artists are looking to tell stories about the salient social experiences of our time. Social scientists often work on these, but lack high-visibility outlets to speak about it with the general public.
To foster this point, the event will include a discussion, including a presentation and Q&A, on the question of How to shoot a fiction film based on social research? We will pay attention to the process - story development, screenwriting, casting, directing, postproduction -, to the collaboration - how does filmic storytelling go with social scientific theory? What does a sociologist contribute to the work with actors, or to set design? What tensions are created by different understandings of artistic and scientific work? - and last but not least, the limitations: how much 'science' do we need to give up to tell a compelling story?
Synopsis:
The delivery company LKW Kovacs, where Walter works, is undergoing rapid digitalisation. Soon, worlds and worldviews collide. A faulty cooling system disrupts Walter’s routine, and delays throw off his tight schedule. Stephanie Novàkovà, the consultant overseeing the process, also struggles to find her footing. On the day of his daughter Jenny’s soccer final, Walter’s route is changed at the last minute, prompting him to make a fateful decision. That evening, he is suspended via app, without pay. After days of uncertainty, his wife Petra urges him to fight for his job. The ending suggests a quiet victory yet an uncertain future.