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Gianluca Koeswanto

Actor
Filmmaker Gianluca Koeswanto studies directing at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. His short film "MORGENDÄMMERUNG" (2023) was selected for the competition at the 2024 Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis. The work was also included in the "Next Generation Short Tiger 2024" program, which is presented by German Films and the German Federal Film Board (FFA) at international festivals such as Cannes. His earlier directorial work includes the 2022 short film "Alles gut".

Films

Call Me Agnes

Call Me Agnes

By Daniel Donato

2024 | 94 min | Drama

This docudrama about Agnes Geneva, an Indonesian trans woman living in the Netherlands, shows her search for self-acceptance.

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Are You Sleeping, Brother Jakob?

Are You Sleeping, Brother Jakob?

2018 | 80 min | Documentary

Stefan Bohun and his three remaining brothers search the past for traces their deceased brother Jakob, who took his own life. This is a very personal film about mourning and saying goodbye, yet also about acceptance and joy, reuniting, and reconnecting with people you love. Jakob had moved to Portugal, but he often suffered from homesickness and despair. The last sign of life that his brother Stefan saw was a changed profile picture in a social network which showed the Larein Valley in the Alps. ...

Na Sdorowje! Babuschka!

Na Sdorowje! Babuschka!

2011 | 22 min | Comedy

Today is Tatjana's birthday but no one cares. Disappointed, Tatjana falls asleep but is woken by her Russian family who turns Anne's house upside down. As the saying goes: The best thing about a family, you're never alone. The worst thing is, you're never alone! An upstanding German household goes nuts. Far from her Russian homeland, Tatjana cares for Inge, an old and fragile German woman. But today is Tatjana's birthday but no one cares. Disappointed, Tatjana falls asleep but is woken by her Russian ...

Soldier Ahmet

Soldier Ahmet

2021 | 76 min | Documentary

Ahmet Simsek is a hardworking paramedic in the Austrian army and talented boxer. Despite being the dutiful son of Turkish immigrants, Ahmet feels a sense of detachment from himself and his community. However, things take an interesting turn when he enrolls in acting classes and lands the lead role in A Streetcar Named Desire. But as he tries to confront his own vulnerability, he struggles to break free from traditional gender roles and conflicts with himself arise. The film provides a nuanced and ...

Dear John

Dear John

2015 | 42 min | Documentary

Hans Scheugl could have started a new life with his friend John in the USA 50 years ago - but he didn't. He imagines a life that never happened. The letter A, blurred against a pink background. This is the first letter on a journey that does not go alphabetically to Z, even though many letters appear - not just alphabetical, but written correspondence. These letters connect two worlds: a life in the USA and one in Vienna. The sign with the A marks a house somewhere in America, which the filmmaker ...

A Black Jesus

A Black Jesus

2020 | 92 min | Documentary

Once a year in the small Sicilian town of Siculiana, a black statue of Jesus is carried in procession through the crowded streets of the town on the shoulders of selected believers. On this occasion, hundreds of Siculianese emigrants come from all parts of Italy and abroad to pay homage to their patron saint. In recent years, however, the city has been divided over the presence of asylum seekers at Villa Sikania, a hotel that was converted into a reception center for refugees in 2014. Few Siculianesi ...

The Bitter Apple From the Tree

The Bitter Apple From the Tree

2015 | 29 min | Documentary

A summer in South Korea: a filmmaker returns to her home country, driven by her complex relationship with her mother. In a small apartment in Incheon, an intimate story unfolds about a woman whose life has been shaped by disappointment and conformity. The youngest of four sisters, born unwanted, she left home at the age of twelve. Since then, she has struggled, marked by the expectations of society and her own family. The daughter's camera captures moments of intimacy and confrontation, an interplay ...

Living Together

Living Together

2022 | 90 min | Documentary

In the heart of Vienna, a pioneering initiative funded by the EU and spearheaded by the city itself embarked on a mission to foster integration among refugees and newcomers, guiding them through the maze of a new cultural landscape. LIVING TOGETHER, directed by Thomas Fürhapter, delves into this intricate process, portraying the lives intertwined in this communal learning journey. The film, through the lens of Judith Benedikt and Klemens Koscher, captures the essence of adaptation, camaraderie, and ...

Exit Right

Exit Right

2015 | 3 min | Shorts

Look away or intervene? When a man is victim of unfounded abuse in a packed bus, there is only one passenger who doesn't ignore the situation like everyone else. How do you best confront xenophobia? Is it right to stand up for the one abused or is it too great a risk of becoming a victim too? When a black man is abused by a stranger for no reason in a packed bus, there is only one passenger who doesn't ignore the situation like everyone else. He has the courage to step up and intervene. This doesn’t ...

Nirwana

Nirwana

2013 | 52 min | Drama

Based on a true story, NIRWANA tells of a modern odyssey that also "symbolizes the inattention to those on whose backs our prosperity is carried out". (Director's commentary) Din Islam lives with his family in a small village near Chittagong, the largest port city in Bangladesh. To feed his family, Din and his close friend Amin head off to the city to look for work. After a long and disappointing day, they stroll around the darker parts of the city, looking for a place to sleep. Their decision to ...

The Smoothness of Our Teeth

The Smoothness of Our Teeth

2021 | 28 min | Drama

A young Romanian woman visits her uncle, who emigrated to the United States many years ago to build a new life as a baker. What begins as a happy reunion soon turns into a trial of strength, when a broken tooth that the uncle refuses to have treated raises questions about identity, origins and life choices. Editor Note Anna-Lena Engelhardt: THE SMOOTHNESS OF OUR TEETH is my Master of Arts graduation film at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg. Poetry, subtlety and a kind of softness mixed ...