There are lots of intriguing films premiering at Sundance this year, like “Love Lies Bleeding,” “A Different Man,” and Steven Soderbegh’s “Presence.” But how about a social satire that sounds like a mix between HBO’s “Succession” and the 2020 Blumhouse flick “The Hunt”? Enter “Veni Vidi Vici,” ready to premiere on the fest’s opening night.
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Julia Niemann and Daniel Hoesl’s film follows a family of billionaires who use their wealth as a buffer to hunt other humans. But after the elite family’s secret gets out to the local community, will they face any consequences for their antisocial behavior?
Here’s a logline for “Veni Vidi Vici,” courtesy of Magnify:
The Maynards and their children lead an almost perfect billionaire family life. Amon is a passionate hunter, but doesn’t shoot animals, as the family’s wealth allows them to live totally free from consequences.
Laurence Rupp, Ursina Lardi, Dominik Warta, Johanna Orsini, Markus Schleinzer, and Olivia Goschler star in “Veni Vidi Vici.”
Hoesl, who wrote the film along with co-directing, issued a press statement about how what inspired him to make the feature. “The situation is serious,” said the filmmaker. “To create a parable, you have to exaggerate, paradoxically enough. I remember Donald Trump saying he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and it wouldn’t stop people voting for him.” Ulrich Seidl produces “Veni Vidi Vici,” an Austrian film that’s part of Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition program. Other international features at Sundance this year include Shuchi Talati’s “Girls Will Be Girls,” Mikko Mäkelä’s “Sebastian,” and the Norwegian horror movie “Handling The Undead.”
As noted earlier, “Veni Vidi Vici” has its world premiere on Sundance’s opening night on January 18. The film then makes its European premiere nine days later at the Rotterdam Film Festival on January 27. Niemann and Hoesl’s film is still looking for a distributor, but expect it to get snatched up for a US theatrical release by the time Sundance ends. In the meantime, check out a trailer for “Veni Vidi Vici” below.