UNTIL THE MOON IS BORN IN THE WEST
(2023 | 24min)
Together with dancers who have experienced war and flight the dance short film "Until the moon is born in the west" is narrating the path of one human being on the run through movement and sound: From the feeling of hopelessness in a destroyed home, the suffocating fear when being on the run at sea to desolation and all the hopes when arriving in Berlin.
In a shattered home between ceasefire and bombing raids, Joy simply tries to live and free herself from the burden of her history. Driven away from her home, the mere hope of a future as motivation, she sets off underwater across the Mediterranean. A fight for survival begins. In the tumult of a foreign city, she arrives and is now faced with new challenges - moving between rapprochement and alienation.
CAST & CREW
Credits
Written and directed by Lea Bethke
Produced by Firmament and Sinne Film
Choreografen: Raphael Moussa Hillebrand and Medhat Aldaabal
DOPs: Jonas Kolahdoozan and Jacob Sauermilch
Editor: Jonas Harmsen
Musikkomponist: Manouk Roussyalian
Sound Designer: Alex Acevedo Szenenbildnerin: Kayra A. Cekiç Kostümbildnerin: Maria Wallenstein
With
Joy Alpuerto Ritter
Ali Enani
Marcelo Omine
Lujain Mustafa
Mouafak Aldoabl
Exocé Kasongo
Joana Kern
Osman Osman
AWARDS
Winner Best Screendance Film over 10min at San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2023
Winner Best Film Director at All That Moves Int. Film Festival in São Paulo 2023
3rd Price in Official Competition at VideodanzaBA in Buenos Aires 2023
Official Competition Award Nominee at Dance Camera West in Los Angeles 2024
Filmfest Dresden - Panorama National 2024
Short Film Matters - Five Star Review - Handpicked 2024
Director's Note
"Until the moon is born in the west" addresses the challenge of the 21st century: the migration movement. On an emotional level, the short dance film approaches its topic, which we often only encounter systematically and analytically in public discourse. It portrays the inner journey of a person on the run, using only sound, music and body language, which I believe can reach a universally understandable depth that words cannot express. The body has a memory. And with this film, I want to give this memory a platform.
I made the film together with choreographers and dancers from different countries who have experienced at least part of the story themselves. Some have experienced war and flight, and all know the struggle of arriving and living in a city where they have to cope with "othering" on a daily basis.
When we made the film, there were about 65 million people on the run worldwide. Today, there are 108 million and counting. This film is dedicated to them, the people who have to cross borders in order to have a dignified future and are left to die at sea. What happens at Europe's borders is not just a shame, it is a crime against humanity. Freedom of movement is a human right."
Lea Bethke
Press
“Lea Bethke’s experimental piece, ‘Until the Moon is Born in the West’ is an exemplar of cinematic storytelling that transcends the norm. [...] The film stands as a powerful reminder of the human toll of conflict and displacement, offering a profound meditation on resilience and the universal quest for sanctuary. Bethke’s visionary direction, coupled with the exceptional talent of the cast and crew, culminates in an unforgettable watch that merits the highest praise.”
Short Film Matters 2024
“The strength and complexity of the film’s visuals beautifully support a moving in timely narrative about the challenges faced by immigrants and refugees. [...] In the use of striking imagery and movement the film drives home an impactful message.”
San Francisco Dance Film Festival Jury 2023
“The burden of violence [...] is characterized by the motif of the "drive for life". It is in this motif that the work finds its narrative engine. Remarkable is the quality of the poetic operation generated from the games of contrast based on spatial, scenic and choreographic elements and the camera-body relationship, as well as the body-environment variations [...] and the language of movement that is of performative excellence. ”
Videodanzaba Jury 2023
