

Manuela Bastian
DirectorFilms

Recommended for you

From the Ashes
2019 | 19 min | Documentary
In December 2018, the last German coal mine in Bottrop closed it shafts. At the Prosper-Haniel II mine site, the miners are clearing out the last production facilities. Meanwhile, undead miners haunt the old cleaning trac as part of a newly opened horror theme park. The advertised "goosebumps guarantee" of the "NRW creepy maze" is bringing jobs back. The miners children are earning a living now not as coal miners, but as miner zombies in "Shaft 13". ZWISCHENTAGE observes structural change using ...

Le Ciel, la Terre et L'Homme
2018 | 70 min | Documentary
Ahmed, Yussef, Lahcen and Idir live in the tension between a traditional, nomadic way of life and modern conveniences and problems. Caroline Reucker's film approaches these people, their stories of city and country, their everyday life, their longings and their sense of home and belonging.

Barricade
2021 | 83 min | Documentary
In the tree tops, climate activists create their own utopia, a free and alternative living space where they employ their bodies and creativity to challenge the state authorities. Since 2020, David Klammer has repeatedly been to the 'Danni'. With patience and on his own - without a crew - he was able to gain the activists' trust. In the film they talk about their commitment, their fears, their motivation and thier hopes. This is contrasted with the militaristic images of the eviction and clearing. ...

Kick It Like a Girl - Season 2
2024 | Documentary
The gripping documentary series KICK IT LIKE A GIRL sheds light on the lives of young female footballers who are defying prejudice and pursuing their dreams in the male-dominated world of soccer. The series portrays girls from the Ruhr region who play for SGS Essen, a club dedicated to promoting female talent. At the center of the narrative are the U15 players, Pauline, Chayenne, Eriona and Liv, who demonstrate their skills and commitment despite frequent discrimination and challenges. The documentary ...

When I went to visit the boys
2024 | 90 min | Documentary
In southern Burgenland, a region where time seems to stand still, a filmmaker encounters men of different ages and backgrounds. With her cell phone camera, she documents conversations about work, family, dreams, and the challenges of modern life. The men open up, share their stories, and reflect on their roles in a changing society. What begins as personal field research unfolds into a quiet but profound portrait of a region and its men. Initial strangeness gives way to trust. The men talk about ...

In Heaven's Meadow
2018 | 30 min | Drama
Maya awakes suddenly in Heaven Meadow. She is not dead, she is in Vienna. It is night. She checks out her body. What is she missing? Her shoes, that's for sure. The culprits are gone. Injured and without shoes, Maya runs back to the city - home. Without further ado she goes to Italy, to Daniel, her boyfriend. Daniel does not know what happened to her in Vienna, but he senses something is different. Maya wants to regain control over her life, not be a victim. And yet she's just drifting through ...

Alarm
2025 | 90 min | Documentary
ALARM follows the members of a volunteer fire brigade who remain on call around the clock, ready to respond whenever an emergency strikes. Rather than turning rescue operations into spectacle, the film focuses on the routines, responsibilities and teamwork that make their work possible. Judith Zdesar accompanies the brigade through training exercises, youth programmes, the education of new members and everyday life at the fire station. Alongside the technical precision required for every operation, ...

Be There
2017 | 81 min | Queer
The architect Alain lives secluded in his luxurious finca on the Mallorcan hinterland. He avoids contact with other humans until he has to go out into the world. Alain, an architect, lives secluded in his luxurious villa on the island outback of Mallorca. He wears only women's clothes and avoids contact with other people - even his house keepers. Eventually he is forced to break out of his isolation, but neither he nor the outside world seem ready for it. Lotta Doll's debut film BE THERE, filmed ...

Bacha Posh
2015 | 29 min | Icons & Media Art
Afghan wisdom says that if you have many daughters, you can raise your youngest as a boy and the next child will be a boy. "Bacha posh" are the names of these girls and Farah Noz is one such girl. But instead of becoming a "girl" again after the birth of her brother, the 14-year-old decided to remain a boy. Elaha is different, she made her own decision to wear men's clothes on the street and find her female role on her own. In their documentary installation, Ginan Seidl and Yalda Afsah show the ...

Lebe schon lange hier
2019 | 98 min | Documentary
A year in the life of an ordinary street in Berlin. "Summer from of a balcony in Berlin - but also spring, fall and winter: Sobo Swobodnik spent a year observing life in his neighborhood from his apartment and made a unique film about it - with intimate perspectives and vantage points." Filmportal.de The minimalist work of art unfolds a fascinating image-sound-music collage about the “productivity of waiting”.