Sparschwein

A financial bottleneck and an unusual offer: A television station offers Christoph Schwarz the opportunity to document his “climate strike” for a year in a self-experiment. But instead of just focusing on sustainable lifestyles, Schwarz goes even further – he goes on a “money strike”. However, his critical approach to capitalism is overshadowed by a questionable decision: he secretly uses the film budget to buy himself and his wife a long-awaited weekend house in the Waldviertel, Austria. PIGGY BANK is a self-deprecating meta-documentary that uses humor and acumen to highlight the double standards in times of climate crisis. Schwarz casts himself as a subject who tries out sufficient lifestyles, rescues food from the bin, grows herbs in a convertible and blocks highway construction sites. But while he rebels against capitalism, the question remains: how credible is a film about a money strike when it ends up making money itself? The film celebrated its premiere at the Diagonale 2024 and was awarded the Hof Critics' Prize for best production. It was also shown at the Glasgow Film Festival, the Max Ophüls Prize Saarbrücken and the International Film Weekend Würzburg.