German Filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger Cuts 20 Minutes From Vampire Drama

Ulrike Ottinger trimmed up to 20 minutes from her latest feature, The Blood Countess, against her original intentions. The German director disclosed the editing changes during a retrospective event at the Tokyo International Film Festival this week. Her preferred version ran longer, but she shortened the film because producers pressured her to do so. The final cut required a full re-edit to restore narrative balance.

The film stars Isabelle Huppert as a vampire countess in modern Vienna. Lars Eidinger and Birgit Minichmayr also appear in the cast. The movie premiered in Berlin in February. Ottinger noted that Huppert remained attached to the project for two decades, while Eidinger expressed strong enthusiasm for the role.

Production costs drove the creative decisions. Ottinger described The Blood Countess as the most expensive film she has ever produced. She requested 40 shooting days but received only 30. Her crew exceeded 100 people, a number she said was too large for her working style. She preferred a smaller team with more shooting time.

Safety regulations now inflate budgets significantly. Ottinger stated that extensive safety measures make contemporary films expensive. Many of these requirements feel bureaucratic and excessive. When she produced her own work, she could complete high-quality films for 2.5 million to 3 million euros. Today, meeting current standards requires a budget of at least 7 million to 8 million euros. This financial shift explains why she no longer produces her own projects.

The funding structure for German cinema has also changed. Barbara Wurm, who heads the Forum section of the Berlinale, joined a discussion on the current state of German film. She explained that the Federal Film Agency, or FFA, now allocates production support automatically based on box office admissions and festival success. This system replaced the previous jury selection process. Producers must now show that a prior film screened at specific festivals or reached certain viewer counts to secure funding for new projects.

Wurm argued that this model favors a small number of large productions. Smaller films and documentaries often lose out in this system. The FFA’s current list awards points to films selected for specific sections at Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. The Forum section, which operates independently, is not included on that reference list. Wurm advocated for funding many small and unseen films to preserve diversity.

Government budgets for film have fluctuated recently. Culture minister Wolfram Weimer increased economic film funding to 250 million euros for 2026. That money has already been spent. The 2027 budget draft proposes about 200 million euros, pending parliamentary approval. Jury-based cultural funding continues alongside the automatic system. Wurm noted that international filmmakers can access these funds if they work predominantly with German production companies.

The Tokyo retrospective also screened Ticket of No Return and Under Snow. Shibuya Tetsuya, a German film professor at Nihon University, introduced the program. He noted that The Blood Countess features a vegetarian vampire. Ottinger, who came from the visual arts, described herself as an outsider in German cinema. She said she makes image-driven films rather than psychological dramas. She joked that critics may attack older directors less readily.