Berlin short film, audience feedback Dec. 2022 Toronto LGBTQ+ Festival

BERLIN, 16min,. USA,
Directed by Sea Shimooka, Ian M Adelson
Deserted by a close friend, a young backpacker tries to find her way home after a dark night in Berlin.

Director Statement
This film feels like an invasion of privacy, a lurking view into a young woman’s distressing inner world. It’s a story born out of events that occurred on a backpacking trip to Berlin and shaped into a narrative focusing on a young woman constantly fighting to be herself. At the outset, we see the character as a messy, unclear version of herself - lost in Berlin both physically and mentally. Her first exploration into her queerness results in a painful rejection that later manifests into shame, driving her reckless choices. Through these challenging experiences taking place over the course of one night, our character begins to shed her skin that was tethered to the judgment of others, and with mental fortitude, begins to claim her own happiness.