Linda Verweyen

A thought experiment as a chamber play: What would everyday life look like if the incidents on August 15, 2021 in Afghanistan happened here in Germany?

It begins with a chance encounter between Ro and Ju on a film set. A conventional love film? The characters not only change bodies, identities and desires over seven countries. They struggle with perceptions of themselves and others, fail because of bad scripts, a lack of visas, social expectations or their own demands. The film shows that love is both individual and universal at the same time. It shows diversity in action and not only dispels prejudices about gender relations and sexism in different corners of the world, but also touches on topical issues such as the war in Ukraine. The film is an ode to love and a declaration of love to filmmaking. Film sets, the madness and confusion of film production and the excitement before the premiere are also themes of the film.

Halima underwent an operation to reconstruct her vulva after female genital mutilation. On her journey home, she talks about her way of staying strong. A film about the consequences of FGM, everyday racism in Germany and reality as a female refugee. Halima is a collective figure, representing biography, struggle and point of view of five somali women, who had suffred from FGM/C and worked on the film in all stages of production.

Jonna's childhood friend Louis assaulted her sexually when they were 12 years old. While he almost forgot about it she is struggling with PTSD. The docu-fiction of five staged interviews questions narratives and clichés of sexual violence.

BIG EARTH follows on from the story of HOTEL CALIFORNIA, takes up the theme of solidarity and tells how young people come together, dance, make music, fall in love and break up again. It tells of temptation, dreams, power and powerlessness, allows different languages to have their say, different cultures to appear and finally opens the stage for the unique big show, where everyone finds each other again, united under the globe.