Shorts: Heimat

Event Information

Heimat, the German word for home or homeland, does not have any direct translation in English but might also not need one. Instead, it is one of those words that have a strong connotation even outside of the German language. The short films in this program all touch upon what it means to be at home in Germany when you’re made to feel like you don’t quite belong.

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Films:

Miss Black Germany / 2018 / Elisha Smith-Leverock / Germany / 12 min

What does it feel like to grow up in a society whose beauty standards are so different from your own? Challenging what it means to be beautiful in the Western world, Miss Black Germany documents the stories, hopes, dreams and fears of four contestants participating in the first Miss Black Germany pageant.

ROAN / 2018 / Thuy Trang Nguyen / Germany / 12 min

A tender relationship unfolds between an elderly Vietnamese grandmother, who raised eight children on her own and took them safely away from the Vietnam war, and her granddaughter, who was born and brought up in Germany. While they spend a day at the grandmother’s apartment in Berlin-Reinickendorf, they begin to share small discoveries of everyday life and larger, existential questions. We see the warm admiration felt from granddaughter to grandmother. The power, endurance, strength and love shared by the two women, as they reach across generations.

Eva Sola / 2018 / Lara Rodriguez Cruz / Germany, Spain / 20 min

Eva, one of the 500,000 young Spanish migrants away from Spain, spends her New Year’s Eve looking for the reasons why she is where she is. During the course of the night, Eva will confront herself with different situations and encounters that will show her the way to becoming the person that she wants to be.
“Eva Sola”, a film by Lara Rodriguez Cruz, is a story about those who leave themselves behind, in order to look for what home means.

Home? / 2018 / Elliot Blue / Germany / 17 min

An Afro-German young adult is taking you on their journey to find home in the country they grew up in. What is home when you look different ? What is home when you are made different ?
“Home?” is a film full of questions but full of humor, a stream of consciousness and a declaration of love of a strikingly relatable young mind.

If you’re interested in stories about understanding oneself, we recommend you check out the feature films In Search… and A Better Man!