Universe Department Store existed in Cheonho-dong, Seoul in the 1980s. There was a spaceship ride in front that unfolded a vast universe for me when I rode it. The universe I saw at the time merged with places in my childhood and would appear in my dreams as strange shapes. What is the source of these strange dreams that make sudden visits even to this day? In order to solve this lingering question, I began to dig into my memories of the Universe Department Store and the places from my childhood.
A tale about the loves and dreams of Reema, a transgender woman in Pakistan.
The film starts in the cinema – the only place where a man can see women on screen. But in sharp contrast to Lollywood is the world in which Reema can subsist as a transgender woman in Pakistan – the Well of Death. A carnival sideshow, where motorcyclists perform stunts and Reema dances to attract consumers. It's the life of a nomad, each town and each show revealing the beauties and complexities of Pakistani society. Reema is convinced to have found the love of her life, Asif. They work together and support each other. It's a utopia that is shattered when Reema suddenly loses Asif. Heartbroken, Reema travels back to her “Guru”, who runs the transgender safe house where she grew up...
Gone in search of stray and abandoned Spanish greyhounds in Almeria, I decided to deal with the theme of abandonment through a documentary focusing on the introspection of emotions linked to this trauma. Inspired by Leopardi's poem about resilience, I tried to bring together human and canine feelings in the experience of being abandoned by someone. The urge to make a documentary came after my first documentary last year. I wanted to try to give the project an aesthetic sense linked to fiction, to have two contrasting worlds in the film. The film is accompanied by a narrative voice, not a didactic one, in order to unite the reportage side with the photogenic and more experimental part.
DOK Industry is realised with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media upon a Decision of the German Bundestag.