Pick Up Your Cross (and follow me) is a quiet, acoustic love song written and produced by Michael J. Keplinger in the summer of 2020. The song captures a delicate intimacy, with understated instrumentation and heartfelt vocals, assuring: “Nothing is ever too real to be a dream.”
Accompanying the song, Keplinger crafted a frame-by-frame animated music video during the disorienting early days of the pandemic, echoing the track’s reflective and tender atmosphere.
Remastered by Keplinger, Pick Up Your Cross (and follow me) received a wide digital release through DIEgital Records on 24 October 2025.
The Music Video for Pick Up Your Cross
The music video for Pick Up Your Cross (and follow me) was shot during the early days of the pandemic. Michael J. Keplinger and Simona Ascher shot reference footage at home. Keplinger then animated the entire video frame by frame within about a week’s time. It went on to win the »Levi« Award for Best Music Video at the Venetian Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival in 2021.
4 Awards & Nominations
- Winner: Bronze Medal
Festival der Österreichischen Film-Autoren (Austria, 2022) - 2x Winner: Gold Medal & Special Award for Remarkable Idea
VÖFA Regional Championship (Austria, 2022) - Winner: The ‘Levi’ Award for The Best Music Video
Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival (Italy, 2021)
12 Festivals & Screenings
- Wisdom Tree International Film Festival (India, 2023)
- Festival der österreichischen Filmautoren (Austria, 2022)
- The Austrian Filmer Association’s Regional Championship (Upper Austria/Salzburg) (Austria, 2022)
- Festival Internacional Audiovisual (Colombia, 2021)
- Austrian Filmfestival (Austria, 2021)
- Gold Coast International Film Festival (USA, 2021)
- Culture Cinema (India, 2021)
- Insomnia International Animation Film Festival (Russia, 2021)
- Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival (Italy, 2021)
- GCIFF Youth Film Day (USA, 2021)
- 3rd Meihodo International Youth visual Media Festival (Fukuoka City, 2020)
- New Generation Film Festival (Serbia, 2020)
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