Film and video production company rocafilm was founded in 2010 by Carmen Maria Zimmermann and Roland Horvath. Their work focusses on documentaries and video production for opera and theatre. 

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rocafilm created two documentary films in Asia. Zwischen Tag und Traum talks about the work of a young woman from Salzburg who opened an orphanage for HIV infected children in Northern Thailand, (2011, 80 min). Sister Heart, (2015, 60 min), focuses on the life project of a catholic nun in India, helping out women and men in need.

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For Opera, in 2012 they collaborated with the directors Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier creating the video design for Giulio Cesare both for Salzburg Whitsun Festival and Salzburger Festspiele.

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They collaborate regularly with the director Damiano Michieletto: La bohème then Falstaff in 2013 and, the following year, La Cenerentola. These productions were presented at the Whitsun Festival and Salzburger Festspiele.

Idomeneo (Theater an der Wien, 2013) and Die Zauberflöte  (Teatro La Fenice in Venice, 2015), Aquagranda at Teatro La Fenice in Venice (composer Filippo Perocco) awarded the Special Prize at the XXXVI edition of Franco Abbiati Awards 2017. Falstaff was revived at Teatro della Scala, Der ferne Klang by Franz Schreker, Alcina for the Whitsun Festival, Salzburger Festspiele, Rigoletto at National Opera of Amsterdam, La Damnation de Faust (Premio Abbiati for best production 2017) for the opening of the season 2017/18 of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (and revival at Palau de les Arts in Valencia) and Don Pasquale at Opera National de Paris.

 

With director Luc Bondy they collaborated on the world premiere Charlotte Salomon, composed by Marc-André Dalbavie (Salzburger Festspiele 2014) and for the director Philipp Stölzl they created video design for Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci directed (Salzburg Easter Festival, 2015). Furthermore Altes Testament at Schauspielhaus Graz with director Volker Hesse. 

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In  2017 rocafilm has been invited to participate at the Salzburg Easter Festival with a new video design for the remake of the legendary production Die Walküre which was originally conducted by Herbert von Karajan and directed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen. In 2017 the revival was directed by Vera Nemirova.

 

They collaborate regularly with director director Claus Guth: Bérénice at Opera de Paris, world premiere by the composer Michael Jarrell, Orlando (Händel) at Theater an der Wien and in the same year at Deutsche Oper in Berlin the world premiere Heart Chamber, music by Chaya Czernowin. Salome at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow (coproduction with the MET opera in New York) and Jenufa at Royal opera House in London.

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In October 2020 they have been invited to create a new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Oper Köln and in December of the same year at Schauspiel Köln they collaborated with director Jürgen Flimm on the theatre production Don Karlos by Friedrich Schiller.

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2021 started with the new production Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno for the Salzburger Festspiele collaborating with director Robert Carsen. Also, a new production (director Damiano Michieletto) of La Cenerentola at Semper Oper in Dresden.

At the Whitsun Festival in Salzburg 2022, with director Roland Villazon, they created the videos for Il barbiere di Siviglia.

Latest collaborations with director Claus Guth include Bluthaus at the Bayerische Staatsoper which won the Best International Production at the Musiktheaterpreis 2022 in Austria (music by Georg Friedrich Haas), Il Viaggio, Dante at Festival Aix En Provence and Don Carlo at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Semele at Bayerische Staatsoper, Doppelgänger at Park Avenue Armory in New York and Turandot at the Staatsoper in Vienna.

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In the beginning of 2024 they have created the videos for Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (director Carrie Cracknell).

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