Denmark

The film aims at showcasing the diversity of bench design, the use of the bench as well as dismantling the more hostile effects of certain bench designs. It is an investigation of a banal object that we all have an experience with and which we all interact with in our everyday life. The film highlights how the built environment is embedded with a series of material objects and non-human entities that interfere with questions of inclusivity and exclusivity. Furthermore, these non-human objects that seek to perform certain actions will contain some degree of ambivalence, in the sense they will be inclusive fore some actions (and people), while for others the contrary.

Denmark

The bridges are an important urban element in Copenhagen, providing different ways of navigating the city. A bridge in the city is not only a connection to the waterfront, it contains a broader definition. By observing the bridges, we can see Copenhagen's diverse lifestyle and the city's inclusive culture.

Azerbaijan

The movie is filmed around the streets of suburban districts of Baku. The background voices are from the YouTube interviews/archives about LGBTI+ experiences from the general public and personal archives . Occasionally, different media platforms carry out public surveys and interviews about queer experiences in the streets of Baku and the results are mostly very hateful and alarmingly homophobic and transphobic. Many people see queerness as a major sin or health issue, or just deny the community's existence by just simply ignoring LGBTI+s. The phobia against the community affects trans people and particularly trans sex workers the most and unfortunately, many trans folks are the victims of hate crimes in the country. For the past 5 years, Azerbaijan is ranked as the most dangerous and worst country to live in for LGBTI+s by ILGA-Europe. Rising homophobia and transphobia raise major concerns for the community and the film addresses the realities of public opinions about the queer community.

Georgia

Azerbaijan

There was no public space to gather and form a community for the alternative youth, marginalized communities, and those who enjoy arts and crafts. Salaam cinema opened its doors to different communities and started its activity with movie screenings. The space got so much attention from youth and in return, from its owner as well. To a point, the owner claimed to destroy the building which is a historical Molokan worship house and said that he plans to build a mall instead of it. The community around Salaam liked the space so much and slowly it was turning into their “home”. And when someone tried to demolish the community and the “home” they newly brought back to life, young people started to resist keeping the space for its further use. Weeks of resistance happened where at some point people physically fought against the owner and carried out a sitting protest not to leave the space. Eventually, with the support of urban activists and the community, the resistance won and Salaam could survive! Now the space hosts many arts and entertainment events and it is a safe space for different marginalized communities. For many, there is a strong feeling of community around Salaam and since its start, the building has been flourishing and getting bigger!

Denmark

The short centers around the people using the recycling center. When I accidentally stepped into this place, I was surprised by the scenery, because in Japan(where I can from), it is not normal for people to go to a recycling center. We put our boxes in the street, and the garbage truck will pick it up. In the dump station that I went to, of course there were carpenters and gardeners, but there were also many normal people. And I think if you are Danish, I imagine that it would be a norm from a young age to go to these recycling place. In a span of four days of filming, I asked 12 people how they felt about the place. Though there were few who felt negativity in the place, everyone agreed that it is good to dump the garbage by themselves because it is good for the environment, and that it is normal to do that. As I was shooting the film, I realized that “normality” was the key word for this short. Normality is dangerous because my normal is not your normal, and the perception of one’s normality can exclude people that is not within that normality. The short has a very positive atmosphere, but at the same time, it is important to note that that positivity could “leave someone behind”. Please enjoy.