Sleeping with a Tiger

Sleeping with a Tiger is a drama about the life of Austrian painter Maria Lassnig. The film follows her journey to find a personal style of artistic expression, focusing on how she translated internal pain onto her canvases. It explores her experiences and struggles within an art world dominated by men, alongside her eventual professional success and her romantic relationships. The narrative portrays the avant-garde artist across different ages and emotional states to provide various perspectives on her life.

Anja Salomonowitz directed and wrote the film, which was produced by Coop 99 Filmproduktion in Austria. The lead role of Maria Lassnig was played by Birgit Minichmayr. The supporting cast includes Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg as Mathilde Lassnig, Lukas Thomas Watzl as Hans Werner Poschauko, Oskar Haag as Arnulf Rainer, Johannes Silberschneider as Professor Wilhelm Dachauer, and Saladin Dellers as Hans Ulrich Obrist. The movie has a runtime of 107 minutes and was released on April 12, 2024.