The Castle (1997 Austrian film)  The Castle () is a 1997 film by Austrian director Michael Haneke. It is an adaptation of Franz Kafka's absurdist novel released theatrically in Germany, The Czech Republic, Japan, Canada, and the USA and on television in Austria. When land surveyor K. (Ulrich Mühe) arrives at a small village that houses a castle, local authorities refuse to allow him to enter. As he tries to convince the officials that they sent for him, they clamp down with increasingly complicated bureaucratic obstacles. "Das Schloß" was filmed in Styria. The film premiered at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival in February 1997.