An Austrian musician in the 90s who dreamed of being signed by a major label actually did stand a chance, because scouts were even roaming even the provinces in search of talent. When a record deal from London beckoned, Helen followed the lure of international success, leaving more than just the other members of her band behind in the village on the Danube where she grew up. In Evi Romen's HAPPYLAND, a woman in her 40s returns home with no money or glamour left, somehow lost between reality, desires that were pursued and opportunities that were missed.

Mario and Lenz have known each other since they were small. Now they are both 20 and determined to escape the confines of this mountain village. Lenz, son of the local vintner, has clearly been dealt a better hand in this respect than the self-destructive dreamer Mario. However, a tragic turn of events shatters the status quo. Evi Romen’s feature film debut WHY NOT YOU features a village in the 21st-century where the old order is collapsing and yet still dominant, depicting the rollercoaster ride of a young man who is completely disoriented and yet senses there must be a place for him too, somewhere.