Cortázar | Big Short Films 2022

Somewhere on the mainland, the tenants of a building slowly rise from their sleep. From afar arrives the promise of a secret passage to the sea.

Over the course of a year, during lockdown, the two filmmakers were shooting with amateur actors on location in old Berlin apartment buildings under imminent threat by gentrification. During this time, they tried to explore the dynamics created between the interior and the exterior spaces, with the single premise that there should not be more than one person allowed in each frame of the film. The result of this work is a fragmented world craving for freedom and reunification.

Inspired by the universe of Julio Cortázar, who in this case becomes himself a fictional character, the film blends reality and fiction in an attempt to sense a world that lies somewhere between the mundane and the unreal. Despite the reference to the author as a source of inspiration, both the storyline and the texts were written by the film directors.

Drama International Short Film Festival 2021 (Special Mention by the Greek Society of Cinematographers)

Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival (Cinematic Achievement Award)

Written by Argyris Germanidis

Directed by Argyris Germanidis & Katerina Strauch

Director of Photography: Argyris Germanidis

Cast: Veronika Steinkohl, Elsa Rosengren, David See, Kerstin Lindow, Jimmy “Trash” Cameron, Herman Herrmann, Chrysa Voulgari, Balso Snell, Albert Prasch, Lilian Germanidi, Frank Behnke, Karina Papp, Uwe Meyer, Mattias Karageorgiou, Eleonora Esau, Michalis Langenfass, Katerina Strauch

Narrators: Frank Behnke, Katerina Strauch, Esther Becker, Eleonora Esau

Set & Costumes Design: Argyris Germanidis & Katerina Strauch

Editing: Argyris Germanidis

Sound: Argyris Germanidis & Katerina Strauch

Sound Design: Frank Behnke

Music: Herman Herrmann

Production Management: Argyris Germanidis & Katerina Strauch

Color Grading: Nikos Voulgaris

Technical Support: Danis Karaisaridis