social
Documentary on Migration vs. Immigration in Italy
La Guarimba International Short Film Festival in Amantea
The film SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO is a short documentary on migration versus immigration in Italy. We shot in and around Amantea, Calabria, Italy. Giulio Vita and Sara Fratini commissioned the film. Both are the founders and directors of the La Guarimba International Short Film Festival in Amantea. The festival is driven by the mission statement of bringing cinema back to the people and the people back to the cinema. Therefore it was our intention from the start to build our film in and around the community of Amantea and Calabria as a region itself.
A Collaboration
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO is the first collaboration by Korean based German filmmaker Nils Clauss and Swiss filmmaker Thomas Horat. Nils and Thomas met when they participated in the La Guarimba International Short Film Festival in Italy in 2017. After the festival Giulio Vita, the director of the festival, invited them to return in 2018 to create a film in and around Amantea in Calabria, Italy. This is what originated this film.
Modern Migration in Italy
Migration has been part of everyday life for the poor in Calabria and the Italian South since the 19th century. Unlike in the pre-war periods, the bulk of migration from the second half of the 20th century was mainly from small towns and villages in rural areas of southern Italian regions. This includes Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzo and Campania. People from those areas migrated primarily in search of a better living conditions and a higher income.
Migration and the Element of Return
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO started as a project meant to look at the phenomenon of Italian migration with a specific focus on the element of return. By focusing on a range of individuals around the city of Amantea, we wanted to see what kind of impact migration had on the region. Which conflicts arose upon the migrants temporary or permanent return?
Migration versus Immigration
Nevertheless, this turned out to be only one part of the story of the final film. When we met Stanley Eboigbe from Nigeria during the casting process, we were inspired to follow up on the story of Italian migration. We wanted to see why that own experience of so many Italians, has not been helpful to make things easier for recent refugees who come and try to make a living in Italy. Daniele Chiodo, one of the three main characters, says in the film: “We were migrants too. We were possibly worse than them. We have to earn millions just to be happy. It’s like a circle. They come here, and we go away. And then we can’t find a job here. It’s a huge mess. Come on, what does it mean that now we don’t want to host them?”
Nothing in Common?
At first sight Daniele, Saveria and Stanley have nothing in common due to their different backgrounds. Although by sharing their hopes and dreams about leaving or staying in Italy, their stories surprisingly overlap. For example Saveria, who has lived as an emigrant in Venezuela for a big portion of her life, in a way shares the same feelings as Stanley about living in Italy after her return. For her like Stanley it is difficult to relate to the local people who have never left Italy, or even the region of Calabria.
“Us” versus “Them” and the Overlap
This kind of feeling of alienation or clash of two different value systems is what this film focuses on. By showing the gap between the life experiences between the “here” (in Italy) and “there” (outside of Italy) and the distinction often made between “us” and “them”, the film intends to show how emigrants, immigrants and migrants share a lot of the same issue. Although what creates the difference is the social, economical and political perception within each individuals surrounding habitat.
Jeff Wall & Stephen Waddell
In contrast to those three different stories the directors tell, other Italian emigrants and African refugees are also present in the film. Based on a more photographic portrait style approach, which pays tribute to the work of contemporary photographers Jeff Wall and Stephen Waddell, we stage a range of scenarios within the film, where people hide their identities by either facing away from camera or by covering their faces.
Inspiration of Visual Style
An Italian news reel at the beginning of the film explains how Italian emigrants were not welcome to Switzerland when the country closed its borders to Italy in 1965. While we hear very hostile comments by some Swiss people being interviewed on the street, the news footage overlaps with those identity hidden portrait shots. This create a feeling of shame. Then those Italians, who have been ashamed living as emigrants overseas obviously build an arch to the refugees, who currently seek asylum in Europe and have to face a lot of xenophobia. This is why in shame they turn away from the camera lens in those stylized portrait shots. Aesthetically, this approach also allows us to break with more traditional concepts of documentary based storytelling and hopefully contributed to shape a less linear film.
Thank you very much, Nils & Thomas
PLASTIC GIRLS competing at Indie Memphis
Plastic Girls at Indie Memphis Film Festival
We are incredibly honored to announce that PLASTIC GIRLS will screen in the Documentary Shorts Competition as part of the 21st edition of the INDIE MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL. The event takes place between the 1st and 5th of November in Memphis, Tennessee. INDIE MEMPHIS itself has been voted both as one of “The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” by MOVIE MAKER Magazine.
About Plastic Girls
PLASTIC GIRLS is the last film of a Korea related trilogy following BIKINI WORDS and LAST LETTERS. What unites the 3 films is a strong focus on issues related to space and architecture, but each film itself stands out with an individual subject matter. PLASTIC GIRLS is the most quirky out of the 3 films. The presented mannequins are unique to Korea and the film explores through them a clever way to address gender issues in Korea without flatly denouncing the society itself.
For more information about PLASTIC GIRLS please read a very thorough interview on film blog DIRECTORS NOTES, which dives into some of the ideas behind and the making of this film.
Screening Times
PLASTIC GIRLS will screen along with the A LIFE ON THE LINE by Lea Suzuki, BABY BROTHER by Kamau Bilal, BLACK 14 by Darius Clark Monroe, MIEDO DE MONOS by Michael Arcos, NORMAN NORMAN by Sophy Romvari, SALTWATER BAPTISM by Jared Callahan & Russell Sheaffer, THE DREAMER by Manjula Varghese and THE TRAVELER TAKAMURE by Jing Niu at the following date and venue:
* Sat, Nov 3rd, 01:00 PM at Theatreworks @ The Square – 2085 Monroe Ave, Memphis TN 38104
For more information about screening times, venues and the festival in general, please visit the INDIE MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL website.
PLASTIC GIRLS at 28th Cinequest Film Festival
Plastic Girls at Cinequest
We are incredibly honored to announce that PLASTIC GIRLS will screen in the Short Film Competition as part of the 28th edition of CINEQUEST & VR FESTIVAL from February 27th to March 11th, 2018 in San Jose, California – the world’s most influential technology center, Silicon Valley. CINEQUEST itself has been voted as “Best Film Festival (of the nation)” in a 2015 poll by the readers of USA TODAY and the HUFFINGTON POST includes CINEQUEST in a list of the “10 Best Film Festivals you’ve never heard of“. PLASTIC GIRLS has been chosen among 1750 entries from more than 120 countries.
About Plastic Girls
PLASTIC GIRLS is the last film of a Korea related trilogy following BIKINI WORDS and LAST LETTERS. What unites the 3 films is a strong focus on issues related to space and architecture, but each film itself stands out with an individual subject matter. PLASTIC GIRLS is the most quirky out of the 3 films. The presented mannequins are unique to Korea and the film explores through them a clever way to address gender issues in Korea without flatly denouncing the society itself.
For more information about PLASTIC GIRLS please read a very thorough interview on film blog DIRECTORS NOTES, which dives into some of the ideas behind and the making of this film.
Screening Times
Along with the feature documentary PURDAH by director Jeremy Guy, PLASTIC GIRLS will screen 4 times at the following dates and venues:
* Sat, Mar 3, 12:25 PM at 3 Below Theaters & Lounge (formerly Camera 3 Cinemas) – 288 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113
* Mon, Mar 5 8:15 PM at Century 20 Redwood City (Screen 10) – 1627, 825 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063
* Sat, Mar 10 10:00 AM at 3 Below Theaters & Lounge (formerly Camera 3 Cinemas) – 288 S 2nd St, San Jose, CA 95113
* Sun, Mar 11 10:45 AM at Century 20 Redwood City (Screen 11) – 1627, 825 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063
For more information about screening times, venues and the festival in general, please visit the CINEQUEST & VR FESTIVAL website.
Vimeo Staff Pick for PLASTIC GIRLS
PLASTIC GIRLS has been selected as a VIMEO STAFF PICK. This totals 6 Staff Picks during the past 6 VIMEO years! So far VIMEO has been an amazing platform and I am truly thankful for all their support. Also I would like to thank everyone, who has been actively supporting me as a filmmaker. All those collaborations throughout the years have been very inspirational and taught me a hell of a lot. A big shout-out to everyone involved!
PLASTIC GIRLS. A short documentary
Following BIKINI WORDS and LAST LETTERS, PLASTIC GIRLS is the last part of a Korea based trilogy with a strong focus on issues relating to space and architecture.
I not only feel that PLASTIC GIRLS complements both BIKINI WORDS and LAST LETTERS well within the trilogy, but it also stands out as a film on it’s own due to its unique subject matter and a thoughtful audio visual approach. Ranging between documentary and fiction, it addresses gender issues through a unique document that illustrates one aspect of the sexualisation of public space.
Differences in gender equality between South Korea and other places in the West are significant. Since I moved to Korea in late 2005, I have been confronted with those disparities in my day to day life. But as a foreigner, how do we and how should we address our concerns about something we personally disagree with? The longer I lived away from home, the more I started to really understand that the way a society is structured, is deeply rooted within its culture and history. In a way this is obvious. But still, as an expat it is easy to drift away from the culture you once decided to live in after encountering elements of the host country’s way of life that you find disagreeable. This insight can stop one from bashing the culture and instead lead one to be more accepting of the way society shapes people’s lives. But then by the same token, what kind of criticism can you possibly engage yourself in, if you live in a society, which is so different from your own and possibly conflicts with your beliefs?
PLASTIC GIRLS is not a film that intends to be offensive towards South Korean society or make it look like gender inequality is an issue only with regard to this nation. Despite references to Korean society and culture, I want to make more of a general statement regarding gender inequality. The sexualization of public space, which is the focus of the film, I believe, illustrates a more global tendency, which in general should be of concern. By choosing plastic mannequins as the very peculiar main subjects of the film, I intend to make the audience feel uncomfortable, but also give them enough room to reflect on the sexualisation of public space on a conceptional level rather than specifically within the context of South Korean society. It is my intention to create a certain awkwardness without being directly offensive towards anybody or by utilising national stereotypes. Even though this film is shot in Korea and references various distinct Korean public spaces, I really hope that this film speaks to an international audience and not only makes us look at gender misbalances in Korea, but allows us to reflect on how the culture produces a certain view of women in general and how we think about an on-going trend regarding a sexualisation of public space.
Thank you very much for your interest in this film!