New technology raises new ethical dilemmas. And one of the greatest dilemmas is brought to a head in the formally conscious Austrian film THE THIRD OPTION – which even allows itself to do so with an edge of bone-dry irony. What do you do if your foetal scan reveals that your child does not live up to modern society’s expectations of normality? A painful question that more and more people have to ask themselves. A woman and a man soberly introduce us to their own experiences from an invisible position outside the image’s sharply framed window on Western welfare reality. The perfectly composed images and the edgy controversion could be signed by Jacques Tati and Harun Farocki, but Thomas Fürhapter is pursuing a different yet highly human mission in his impressive first feature-length film.

“This visually striking, thought-provoking essay dissects the ethical quagmire posed by the latest prenatal testing. Through carefully composed shots we watch as ‘normal’ Austrians engage in a wide array of physical pursuits; meanwhile a variety of unnamed narrators tackle the myriad implications of allowing parents the ‘third option’ – ending a pregnancy if their foetus tests outside the norm.” (Sheffield Doc/Fest)

Thomas Fürhapter, born in 1971 in Vienna/Austria, is an author and filmmaker. After his A levels, he studied psychology at the University of Salzburg and worked as a freelance journalist and photographer. In 1995 he began philosophy studies in Vienna (graduating in 2002). Between 2002 and 2004 he worked as a creative assistant in the area of video at the Vienna Burgtheater and realized his first film DAS GELB OHNE ZEBRA. Further films followed. With MICHAEL BERGER – A HYSTERIA he was invited to numerous international festivals and received several awards. THE THIRD OPTION is his first feature-length film.