

A Penny Weighs More Than A Soul
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FormatFeature 55 min
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GenreDocumentary
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Production2025 Italy
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Film directorTobias Demetz
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Website
About
At 65, after a difficult divorce and the pressures of city life, Ulrich chose to live a self-sufficient life in a hut at 2000m, in harmony with nature. He maintains an ecological lifestyle, independent of conventional utilities, using solar energy and water from the nearest river.
He builds structures and small lakes using natural materials, protecting all types of wild animals and plants. Despite harsh winters with heavy snow, storms, and occasional food shortages, Ulrich remains dedicated to this lifestyle.
However, his life is disrupted when the hut is unexpectedly sold, leading him into a new and uncertain chapter.

Our Focus
After filming for four months in this nearly inaccessible location, overcoming numerous challenges, and dedicating three years to the project, we are now in postproduction. We emphasized a "fly-on-the-wall" approach to authentically capture the remarkable life and story of this man, avoiding staged or reshot scenes. Additionally, we focused on showcasing the beauty of nature and its seasonal transformations through techniques such as timelapses and macro details.
People involved
Producer & Director – Tobias Demetz
Production Supervision – Markus Frings
Directing Supervision – Philip J. Pamer
Editing Supervision – Martine de Biasi
Editor – Giovanni Bez
Sound Design, Foley, Mixing & Mastering – Soundart23
Film Composer – Magdalena Demetz
Film Composition Supervision – Niki Reiser
Legal – Ernest Cuccarollo
Project Supervision – Carl Schönfeld
Special Thanks
Elda Ferri & Roberto Faenza
Pichler Andreas
Davide Marengo
Temistocles Lopez
RawMedia
…and more.