Waking Up in Silence

Im Stillen erwachen
Warm rays of sunshine fall upon sturdy buildings: children forced to flee Ukraine now dwell in the barracks of a former German military base. They ride bicycles, weave wreaths on a meadow full of wild flowers and explore the empty rooms and corridors. In their games, they discover military symbols from the past and link them to their own experiences and hopes. On the sidewalk, they scribble in an endless loop: “Putin, stop killing people.”
by Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi Germany / Ukraine 2023 Ukrainian, Russian, German 18’ Colour World premiere | Documentary Form recommendation: 12 years and up

Crew

Directors Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi
Screenplay Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi
Cinematography Tobias Blickle
Editing Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi
Music Anton Baibakov, Dewey Martino
Sound Design Daniel Asadi Faezi, Andrew Mottl
Sound Kristina Kilian
Dramaturgy Kristina Kilian
Producers Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi
Co-Producer Andrii Kotliar
Co-Production Babylon’13 Kyiv

Produced by

Daniel Asadi und Lotas Film

Mila Zhluktenko

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, the filmmaker studied documentary filmmaking at HFF Munich. Her films have screened at a number of international festivals including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, the San Sebastian Film Festival, MoMA’s Doc Fortnight and at Visions du Réel in Nyon. Opera Glasses won the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig.

Filmography (short films)

2017 I Love My #Hairlegs; experimental · Find Fix Finish; documentary 2019 Opera Glasses; documentary 2022 Aralkum; experimental, co-director: Daniel Asadi Faezi 2023 Waking Up in Silence; co-director: Daniel Asadi Faezi

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023

Daniel Asadi Faezi

The director and producer studied documentary at HFF Munich and at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. A Berlinale Talents alumnus, his films have screened at numerous festivals including Locarno, DOK Leipzig, Visions du Réel in Nyon and the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan, USA. His experimental film Aralkum, which he co-directed with Mila Zhluktenko, won the Jury Prize for the Best Short Film at Visions du Réel.

Filmography

2013 Arefi, the Shepherd; documentary 2016 Kids of Tehran; documentary · Observation of Hawks in the Sky; experimental 2017 In Search Of; short film 2018 The Absence of Apricots; documentary 2019 Where We Used to Swim; documentary 2021 Slowly Forgetting Your Faces; documentary 2022 Aralkum; experimental, co-director: Mila Zhluktenko 2023 Waking Up in Silence; co-director: Mila Zhluktenko

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023