Hundstage (Dog days in english) is a 2001 Austrian feature film directed by Ulrich Seidl. It is characterized by a disturbing naturalistic style which is a trademark of Seidl’s directing. The film stars a mix of professional and amateur actors and it became mildly controversial for its depiction of unsimulated sex scenes. The film follows six interwoven stories set in suburban Vienna over the course of a summer weekend. The film premiered at the 2001 Venice Film Festival where it went on to win the Silver Lion Jury’s Special Award. John Waters has professed his admiration for the film, and selected it as a favourite to present within Maryland Film Festival 2004.
