Najsamotniejszy człowiek w mieście
2026, 86 min.

pre-premiere screening

Awards and selections: Berlinale 2026 – Special Jury Prize
Directors: Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
Cast: Al Cook, Alfred Blechinger, Alois Hoch, Brigitte Meduna
Country: Austria

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

What remains when memories are the only place you can call home?

Al Cook lives surrounded by memories. His apartment and basement studio are filled with books, records, cassettes and traces of a life that has irretrievably passed. After the death of his beloved wife and as a world that seems to be forgetting blues music moves on, Al retreats further and further into his past. When a property developer schedules his home for demolition, he loses his last safe haven. Sometimes, you have to say goodbye to what you know best in order to find your voice again.

In the media:

«Not only about coming to terms with the passage of time, but also about searching for small victories in a confrontation with the battering ram of a system that will sooner or later reach and demolish our little worlds, where we can feel like “kings”.»
— Filip Mańka, capsule review, Filmweb

«A simple, tender film that goes straight to the heart.»
— Jakub Nowociński, capsule review, Filmweb

«There is no shortage of charm and tenderness here, but this is above all a film for patient viewers.»
— Lee Marshall, ScreenDaily, read the full review

Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel

Working together since 1996, they create films, theatre productions and photographic projects. Their work regularly features at the Berlinale, where they have presented films including “Babooska” (2005), “La Pivellina” (2009) and “Vera” (2022). Their cinema is characterised by a blurring of the boundaries between documentary and fiction and a focus on characters living on the margins of contemporary society. Their films combine tenderness, realism and attentive observation of human lives.

Tags: grief, music, memories, loneliness