“Corsage” actor Florian Teichtmeister accused of child pornography

Florian Teichtmeister, the Austrian actor who recently rose to international fame for his portrayal of Emperor Franz Joseph in the Oscar-nominated film Corsage, has been charged with possession of child pornography. The news was first broken by The Hollywood Reporter.

According to reports, Austrian authorities found more than 58,000 digital images of sexualised minors in Teichtmeister’s possession. The pornographic content featured participants as young as 14 years old.

In a statement, Teichtmeister’s attorney, Michael Rami, said the actor plans to plead guilty to all charges. “He confessed during the investigation and always cooperated with the authorities,” Rami said. His trial is scheduled to begin on February 8 and could result in up to two years in prison. IndieWire has reached out to Teichtmeister representatives for further comment.

The news comes as Corsage, an IFC Films release, is trying to get its awards campaign across the finish line. Marie Kreutzer’s film is Austria’s official entry for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film and was recently named one of 15 finalists for the award.

“We have just been made aware of the charges against Florian Teichtmeister and we are deeply shocked and appalled,” a spokesman for IFC Films said in a statement to THR. “We will not allow a supporting actor’s actions to minimize or invalidate the incredible work and accomplishments of the entire Corsage cast and crew.”

In his IndieWire review of Corsage, Adam Solomons wrote: “From the birth of Mozart in 1756 to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, Vienna’s golden age was – to paraphrase Darlene Madison Cox – an important and exciting time. But Empress Elisabeth from “Corsage” doesn’t feel it. At that time, Europe’s second largest cultural city – Paris was never – was home to Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, Klimt and Freud. And although Beethoven died a decade before she was born, “Für Elise” certainly strikes differently when it accompanies one of Elisabeth’s breakdowns. Although ‘Corsage’ makes a worthy attempt to recast Elisabeth as independent of her constraints, in its final note it feels a little too much like a requiem of its own kind.”

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