Creating Rooms of (Be)Longing Part II:

Participation in the film screening and talk is free of charge. 

The space is open to everyone who wishes to engage respectfully, listen to one another, learn, and participate in the conversation with care. At the same time, the discussion centers BIPoC experiences and narratives,with a particular focus on W/FLINTA* perspectives within these communities.

Especially in the German context, there is still very little public conversation around longing, intimacy, and self-determination from BIPoC perspectives. This space aims to contribute to making these conversations more visible and to developing language and shared understandings together.

With Aylin Derya Demirtaş, Leyla Ercan, Letícia Milano

In the second installment of Creating Rooms of (Be)Longing, you are invited to enter a shared space of reflection and think with us about a different understanding of belonging. 

After an introduction, we will screen Leonor Will Never Die. Playful and self-reflexive, this genre-bending Coming-of-(Older)-Age story is about reclaiming authorship and reshaping one’s narrative from within. 

Afterwards, together with Leyla Ercan, Letícia Milano and SİNEMAplural Fellow Aylin Demirtaş, we ask:
How are belonging and longing told through film? What narrative and aesthetic strategies make complex (post)migrant W/FLINTA* stories visible? How can we move beyond trauma-centered storytelling? What do you long for –in film and in real life? How can we not only find belonging, but create it? (Aylin Derya Demirtaş)

You can follow us on Instagram @inbetweenhabitats for more info as well!

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Leonor Will Never Die
Martika Ramirez Escobar, Philippines, 2022, 99 min. Filipino, Tagalog with English subtitles

Leonor Reyes war einst eine wegweisende Figur der philippinischen Filmindustrie während der wilden Glanzzeiten des improvisierten Actionkinos. Heute jedoch kämpft sie mit dem Älterwerden, wachsenden Rechnungen und dem frühen Tod ihres Sohnes. Als sie ein unvollendetes Drehbuch über einen furchtlosen Protagonisten wieder aufgreift, der den Mord an seinem Bruder rächen will, wird Leonor von einem herabfallenden Fernseher am Kopf getroffen und fällt ins Koma. Während sie bewusstlos im Krankenhaus liegt, beginnen Fantasie und Realität zu verschwimmen: Leonor findet sich plötzlich in ihrem eigenen Drehbuch wieder – und wird zur Heldin ihrer eigenen Geschichte.

Mit seiner innovativen Mischung aus pulpigem Actionkino, verspieltem Humor und berührendem Familiendrama ist Leonor Will Never Die eine wunderbar einfallsreiche Hommage an die Kunst des Filmemachens.

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Letícia Milano is a dramaturg and writer. With expertise in diversity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination, she develops film, series, and audio projects centered on characters from marginalized communities and diverse narrative forms.

Leyla Ercan works as a cultural consultant and speaker specialising in diversity, inclusion, change, and critical cultural practices in cultural institutions. She previously served as Diversity Agent at the Nds. Staatstheater Hannover, working across programs, audience, and staff.

Aylin Derya Demirtaş is a literature and cultural studies scholar working across film and participatory practice. Her work explores new narratives, focusing on how belonging can be actively shaped. As a Fellow at SİNEMAplural, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA, she develops dialogical film and workshop formats.