From wood to wonders.

The film "From wood to wonders." scripted by renowned author and director Monika Czernin and distinguished author, director and producer Marc Haenecke, tells the unique story of the HASSLACHER Group, a company that made Austrian industrial history. The film is directed by Monika Czernin.

When Jakob Hasslacher founded the company with a groundwood mill in 1901, he could never have foreseen that 120 years later it would have become one of Europe's leading wood-processing industries.

What were the milestones of this fast-paced development? What was the wood industry like at the end of the Habsburg monarchy? How did ancient Venetian saws become colossal, state-of-the-art sawmills in the course of the 20th century? And why is the time-honoured raw material of wood having a renaissance today?

Through the turbulent decades of two world wars, inflation and rapid recovery in the second half of the 20th century, the company has always remained in the hands of the family. Today, at the start of the 21st century, the HASSLACHER Group stands for forward-thinking wood processing, environmental sustainability, climate protection and the social responsibility of an exemplary Austrian family company.

What distinguishes the three generations of the company? What has carried them through the years? What is the secret of their success?

The film tries to answer these questions and at the same time give viewers a glimpse into the fascinating world of wood.

Monika Czernin
Monika Czernin was born in Klagenfurt in 1965, studied educational science, political science, philosophy and journalism in Vienna and has worked for ORF and as Cultural Editor for the daily newspaper Die Presse. She has lived in Munich since 1996, working as a freelance author and film-maker and producing numerous books and films on historical topics. Her book, Anna Sacher und ihr Hotel [Anna Sacher and her hotel] made the Spiegel bestseller list, and her latest book, Der Kaiser reist inkognito [The Emperor is travelling incognito], is in its third edition.

Marc Haenecke
Marc Haenecke was born in 1967 in Berlin and, having gained a degree in journalism, studied documentary film direction at the University of Television and Film in Munich. He is a multiple award-winning author and director of documentaries for cinema and television, reports and promotional films. Since 1996 he has worked as a director, producer and editor for a variety of television broadcasters; since 2002 he has lectured in Assembly and Resolution at the University of Television and Film in Munich.