Michael Haneke is one of Europe's most successful and controversial film directors. Awarded the Palme d'Or and numerous other international awards, Haneke has contributed to and shaped contemporary auteur cinema and is becoming more and more popular among academics and cinephiles. His mission is as noble as it is provocative: he wants "to rape the audience into independence," to wake them up from the lethargy caused by the entertainment industry. The filmic language he employs in this mission is both highly characteristic and efficient, and yet his methods are open to criticism for their violence toward and manipulation of the audience. The aim of this book is to analyze critically Haneke's aesthetics, his message, as well as his ethical motivation from an interdisciplinary and intercultural perspective. Contributors to the book come from a variety of academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds-European and North American.

English summary: Sex, Media and theology - a provocative mix. Reactions can vary from rejection to openness and curiosity. This volume follows the latter path: on the background of changes in contemporary sexual culture and theological developments in the reflection on sexuality, three media - internet, advertising and film - are analysed with respect of their representation of sexuality and their contribution to theological reflections on sex. This shows: sex in media is more than a provocation; it provides an inspiration for theological thinking about human beings, their relationships with others, and also with God. German description: Sex, Medien und Theologie - eine provokante Mischung, auf die man mit Ablehnung oder Offenheit reagieren kann. Der vorliegende Band versucht das letztere: Auf dem Hintergrund der gesellschaftlichen Veranderungen im Leben und Erleben von Sexualitat und der theologischen Entwicklungen in der Reflektion von Sexualitat werden beispielhaft drei Medien - Internet, Werbung und Film - in Bezug auf ihre Darstellung von Sexualitat und ihren Beitrag zu einer theologischen Reflektion von Sexualitat analysiert. Dabei zeigt sich: Sex in den Medien ist mehr als eine Provokation: es ist Anregung und Beitrag zum theologischen Nachdenken uber die Menschen, ihre Beziehungen und letztlich auch uber ihre Beziehung zu Gott.