‘Man who harvests apples and pears feels the future’

Ever since she can remember, Traude, a farming woman and inn-keeper in Pinzgau, Salzburg, has been making the traditional Vogelbeerschnapps in her 400 year-old mountain hut. She’s hoping the younger generation will follow in her footsteps.

A neighboring farm with towering apple and pear trees is where the old-farmer, Franz, is making his well-known Obstlerschnapps. Although he and his wife, Franzi, handed the farm down to their son, Hannes, both are still struggling to let go.

On the other side of the lake `Zeller See’, mountain farmer, Andreas, has also handed down the farm to his son, Johannes, long ago. Nevertheless, he is still the one making all the schnapps, because Johannes doesn’t have time. Since Johannes can’t live on a farming income alone, he also needs to work as a plumber.

“Apples and Pears“ is a documentary about the archaic art of schnapps-making. Based on three farms, high up in the Austrian Alps, Richard Rossmann tells of the transitions within the daily lives of his hard-working characters, which focus solely around the preservation of their land.