The cinephile starred in director Isa Willinger’s feature-length documentary No Mercy, a radical film manifesto that profiles some of the world’s most ferocious filmmakers, including Celine Sciamma, Anna Lily Ampour, Nina Menkes, Virginie Despentes, Alice Diop, and Catherine Bleier.
No Mercy, which explores themes of gender, authorship, and rebellion, will have its North American premiere at DOC NYC on November 13th. It had its world premiere at Filmfest Hamburg and was subsequently screened at Vienna, Odesa International Film Festival, Rio Festival, and Popoli Festival.
The 105-minute film, produced by Ira Tondowski, Alex Tondowski, Sabine Gruber, and Peter Dressler, is a German-Austrian co-production targeted for release in 2026.
“The truth is, women make harsher films,” legendary Ukrainian director Kira Muratova once told the young Willinger. In No Mercy, Willinger, best known for her award-winning documentary Hi, AI, meets with female and non-binary filmmakers whose work confronts violence, trauma, revenge, and power to explore what defines the so-called “female gaze” and how women portray pain and rebellion on screen.
The impressive line-up of directors involved in this documentary includes Monica Treut, Joey Soloway, Apolline Traore, Mouli Surya, Margit Cenki, as well as Creteil Women’s International Film Festival director Jackie Bouet.
Here is the exclusive teaser trailer for “No Mercy.”
“Cinephile’s commitment to socially relevant and visionary storytelling aligns with our own, and we are excited to be working with them,” Tondovsky Films said in a statement. “Their passion for this film confirms our belief that ‘No Mercy’ is a raw, powerful and deeply human story that deserves to be seen everywhere.”
The cinephile, whose acclaimed documentaries include “The Dating Game,” “Natchez” and “Hollywood Gate,” will be responsible for worldwide sales of “No Mercy.”
“‘No Mercy’ challenges the myths surrounding the so-called ‘female gaze’ and exposes the fundamental honesty that defines much of today’s women’s cinema,” said Shoshi Koman, co-managing director of Cinephil. “Isa Willinger’s approach is fearless, and we are proud to champion a film that speaks with such clarity, defiance and vision,” Corman continued.
Sponsored by public broadcasters ZDF/Arte and ORF, “No Mercy” is scheduled for theatrical release in early 2026 by Germany’s Real Fiction and Austria’s Stadtkino.
