Documentary on Telepathic Communication

Posted by on Dec 10, 2019 in DOCUMENTARY, Video | No Comments
Moving & Migration

IN FLUX is a short film which was initially made for a group exhibition for “Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art” in Korea and the “Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts” in Taiwan. The exhibition, titled “Moving & Migration”, was held between February and October 2019, and included artists who reside in both countries.

The History of Migration in Modern Korea

Taking a closer look at Korea’s modern history, migration in its current form is a rather recent phenomenon. Korea had remained virtually shut to international migrants until economic development gathered steam in the late 1970s. In the 1990s the Korean government introduced non-skilled labor migration schemes.

Rise in International Marriages

Around the same time a rise in international marriages significantly increased the numbers of migrants. Apparently over 70 percent of all international marriage cases since the early 2000s are between Korean males and foreign females. This is due to the “bachelor surplus” in Korea. Strong values based on Confucianism were the leading factor to pursue tight family planning and selective birth. There was a strong preference for sons up until the 1980s. The result of this is a severe mismatch in the marriage market. There was a lack of native-born brides for a significant amount of Korean males. Especially those who resided in the countryside.

The Phenomenon of Cross-Cultural Marriage

The phenomenon of cross-cultural marriage was the starting point for making IN FLUX. The main characters of the film themselves are a Korean-Chinese intercultural couple. They create an elixir that transcends language barriers to empower, especially, those who came to Korea as marriage immigrants. There was a rigid anti-settlement policies in the past. But now the Korean government finally has installed a legal support system for marriage immigrants. In tandem with the local communities the government still follows a one-sided assimilation of immigrants into Korean society. Immigrants are expected to fill perceived social voids without altering the fabric of society. This kind of static understanding of the migration process leads to a paradoxical situation. While the government provides structural conditions for immigration, it denies the cultural shifts that have to happen to make place for new social realities.

A Different View on Multiculturalism

We made IN FLUX to explore a different view on multiculturalism, also but not only in Korea. Rather than reproducing the narrative of hegemonic concepts of multiculturalism, IN FLUX drifts off to a more poetic idea of multiculturalism. It turns out to be a catalyst for a new reality. It becomes an unpredictable process. Through that it carries the potential for unknown beauty and is not something to be feared and controlled. By doing that, IN FLUX describes multiculturalism as a constant stream of becoming. Instead of locking it down to a fixed, prescribed meaning.

Team Work

After having collaborated on commercial and artistic projects for more than 5 years, we are proud to present IN FLUX now as our first film, which we directed as a team. Thank you very much, Nils & Udo

Bikini Words at Arlington Film Festival

Posted by on Nov 1, 2018 in COMMERCIAL, DOCUMENTARY, Narrative, Video | No Comments

Bikini Words at The Arlington International Film Festival

We are incredibly honored to announce that BIKINI WORDS by Nils Clauss will screen in the International Shorts Program of the 8th annual Arlington International Film Festival. The festival takes place from November 1st to November 4th 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About BIKINI WORDS

BIKINI WORDS is the first film of a Korea related trilogy, which is followed by LAST LETTERS and PLASTIC GIRLS. 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. BIKNI WORDS talks about new vocabulary that evolved during the rapid industrialisation of South Korea throughout the 1970s and 1980s amongst the factory workers to put names to the radically new aspects of their urbanised lives.

To date BIKINI WORDS has screened at several international film festival and won Best Short Documentary at the Lift-Off Season Awards 2016.

For more information about BIKINI WORDS 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 Time

BIKINI WORDS will screen in the International Shorts Program along with the CLASH OF MORALITY by Vinay Pujara, CUBEMAN by Linda Dombrovsky, LIFE AFTER GUANTANAMO by Esteban Cuevas and DANKE by Antonio Sequeria:

* Fri, Nov 2nd, 9:28 PM at Capital Theatre – 204 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474, USA

For more information about screening times, venues and the festival in general, please visit the ARLINGTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL website.

BIKINI WORDS at 14th Sedicicorto International

Posted by on Oct 10, 2017 in DOCUMENTARY, News, Video | No Comments

BIKINI WORDS will play at the 14th Sedicicorto International Film Festival on October 11th 2017.

Sedicicorto International Film Festival, born in 2004, is a short film festival held every year in the month of October in Forlì close to Bologna, Italy. It boasts submissions from all over the world by filmmakers mainly dealing with short films. The event aims at drawing the attention not only of the filmgoers, but also of the audience interested in the audiovisual world, within an occasion promoting the exchange of ideas.

BIKINI WORDS plays out of competition in the Experia section of the 14th Sedicicorto International Film Festival, which contains a selection of experimental short films. Together with Werner Biedermann’s JAMAIS VU, Tim Weimann’s UNITED INTEREST, Eileen Byrne’s IRIDESCENE and Benjamin Bardou’s GLORIA VICTIS, BIKINI WORDS will play at Biblioteca Aurelio Saffi (Corso della Repubblica 72 – Forlì) on Wednesday Oct. 11th at 5pm.

BIKINI WORDS focuses on new vocabulary, which evolved amongst factory workers during the rapid industrialisation of South Korea throughout the 1970s and 1980s in order to put names to the radically new aspects of their urbanised lives.

Best Short Documentary for Bikini Words

Posted by on Mar 24, 2016 in COMMERCIAL, DOCUMENTARY, News, Promo, Video | No Comments

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Great News! BIKINI WORDS by Nils Clauss just won Best Short Documentary at the Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival 2016!

As a winner BIKINI WORDS will now be screened at proceeding Lift-Off global film festival events in Tokyo (in April), Las Vegas (June), Vancouver (August), Los Angeles (September), Amsterdam (October), Singapore (Late October), Sydney (November), and London (December).

BIKINI WORDS on THE ATLANTIC

Posted by on Feb 18, 2016 in COMMERCIAL, DOCUMENTARY, Promo, Video | No Comments

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After the short documentary Choa now also Bikini Words has been featured as an Editor’s Pick by The Atlantic. Thanks to Nadine Ajaka for showcasing the video!

BIKINI WORDS takes a look at new linguistic developments among factory workers during the industrial expansion of Korea in the 1970s and 80s.

BIKINI WORDS at Liverpool Lift-Off Film Fest

Posted by on Feb 15, 2016 in DOCUMENTARY, FEATURE, Promo, Video | No Comments

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Lift-Off Film Festival Global Network selects BIKINI WORDS by Nils Clauss to be part of their prestigious line up of true independent cinema at this years Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival 2016!

BIKINI WORDS was selected out of 1300+ global entrants, to screen at the prestigious Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival, the only fully accredited film festival in the city.

At the event all of the films will be scored by the attending audience, where the winners are potentially screened at the ten proceeding Lift-Off global events. Lift-Off currently has festivals in London, Liverpool, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.

James Bradley Co-Director and Co-Founder of Lift-Off says…

Getting into any Lift-Off Film Festival is a massive achievement. The world of independent film has grown so much over the years that many of the grass rooted filmmakers and emerging professionals are left without much of a platform. We felt that many of these artists who were producing exceptional work were being hugely ignored – and deserved to be seen! Our judges are rigorous and we are quickly building a reputation of finding true undiscovered talent.

BIKINI WORDS focuses on new vocabulary, which evolved amongst factory workers during the rapid industrialisation of South Korea throughout the 1970s and 1980s in order to put names to the radically new aspects of their urbanised lives.

The film will be screened on Thursday 3rd March 2016 from 9:00 to 10:30pm at Small Cinema Liverpool (57-59 Victoria Street, Liverpool, L1 6DE) within the Shorts Programme 1 (Evening of Shorts).

Ticket can be purchased Lift-Off Tickets.

VIMEO STAFF PICK for Bikini Words

Posted by on Jan 13, 2016 in COMMERCIAL, DOCUMENTARY, Promo, Video | No Comments

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GREAT NEWS! BIKINI WORDS has been selected as a VIMEO STAFF PICK. This totals 5 Staff Picks during the past 5 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!

CHOA nominated as 2014 Film Grant Finalist

Posted by on Dec 11, 2014 in DOCUMENTARY, Promo, Video | No Comments

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After a Vimeo Staff Pick and a showcase on The Atlantic, now CHOA has also been selected as a finalist for the Documentary Film Award 2014 by the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation. Adam Hobbs and Nils Clauss would like to thank UIC and Choa Choi for making this possible in the first place. For more information follow this link.

CHOA featured in THE ATLANTIC

Posted by on Jun 5, 2014 in COMMERCIAL, DOCUMENTARY, Narrative, Promo | No Comments

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Skating with the Guys. A female hockey player from South Korea describes what it takes to complete. The film was a collaboration between UIC Yonsei University and filmmakers Nils Clauss and Adam Hobbs. Big thanks to the The Atlantic for featuring the CHOA video. Check out the film here.

CHOA . VIMEO STAFF PICK Award

Posted by on Jan 22, 2014 in DOCUMENTARY, Promo, Video | No Comments

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Great News! The short documentary CHOA has been selected for the VIMEO STAFF PICK CHANNEL.

The VIMEO STAFF PICK CHANNEL is the most prestigious channel to find on VIMEO. The channel is run by the VIMEO employees. They select their favorite videos on a daily basis and promote them through their website. Their channel description reads the following: “We really love videos, and these are the videos we really, really love. All of these videos have been hand picked by the real humans who work at Vimeo. We hope you enjoy them!”

CHOA is a short documentary on Choa Choi, who is a female Korean ice hockey player playing in a men’s team. Nils Clauss and Adam Hobbs made this video in collaboration for Underwood International College of Yonsei University, Seoul.

Follow this link in order to check out this short documentary.