Private Project

DISCONNECT

DISCONNECT
Short Synopsis

Here HE (27) is. A disappointment! As he observes himself in the gloomy light of his living room mirror, the young man starts to hear intensifying voices from his past. He has failed everyone – especially himself. He envisions himself as a strong, ambitious, masculine version but these vibrant images of an unfulfilled self-idealisation do not hold any truth anymore, nor do they offer perspective to go on in the same manner. At the brink of a mental breakdown, he just manages to tear himself away from the living room mirror.

He finds himself in the solitude of nature. It is bright day and it seems to be a different time and a different place. After a moment of disorientation he locates a shiny structure in the distance. Attracted by its mystical appearance he approaches the unknown. The erecting mirror columns in front of him reflect his image and feel in this environment alien-like. He enters and gets absorbed by the sheer size of the unreal surroundings. It is at the heart of the structure where he discovers HER (27), an embodiment of femininity. But it is her aura that he is immediately drawn too. This familiarity and her gentle smile provides for him the comfort to face her from close range. The energy of this close encounter transfers them away.

A pink bedroom. Yet another unknown and artificial place. The mattress camp he finds himself on reminds him at first glance of his dark state. He just recently had spent a lot of time not able to engage in reality. However, now he is not alone. He receives and accepts her comfort, feels cheerfulness alongside her and learns to enjoy the beauty of a relaxt moment with her again. It is the influence of her female soul that provides him with a new sense of self-acceptance. Through her he is able to transform to an inspired being as he incarnates to a complete human, ready to be born again into the world.

He wakes up on the hard wooden floor of his living room. As he gets up, morning has broken. He looks into the mirror in front of him and is greeted by her smiling reflection. He is for a moment unsure since he alone occupies the room, just before he finds himself smiling back at her out of the mirror.

  • Teymour Tehrani
    Director
    ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there
  • Teymour Tehrani
    Writer
    ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there
  • Teymour Tehrani
    Producer
    ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there
  • Sebastian Beyrer
    Director of Photography
  • Titus Kraus
    Key Cast
    "He"
  • Karlotta Kawalla
    Key Cast
    "She"
  • Tamara Sauer
    Make-Up & Styling
  • Henning Stöve
    Editor
  • Matthias Hornschuh
    Music
    Meine Beschneidung
  • Nami Strack
    Sound Design
  • Omri Peled
    Colorist
  • Michael Fragstein
    Title Design
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Experimental, Drama, Mental Health, Queer
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 24 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 14, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39 : 1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Wales International Film Festival 2023
    Swansea
    United Kingdom
    September 14, 2023
    World Premiere, UK Premiere, Welsh Premiere
    Award Winner, Category: Experimental
  • Lebanese Independent Film Festival - LIFF 2023
    Beirut
    Lebanon
    September 23, 2023
    Middle Eastern Premiere, Arabic Premiere, Lebanese Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: Mental Health
  • Milan Shorts Film Festival (Seasonal Award) – Season 2, 2023
    Milan
    Italy
    October 28, 2023
    Italian Premiere
    Award Winner, Category: Best Director (Seasonal Award 2023)
  • Art Experimental Screenings Film Festival Fresh Stream 2023
    Tbilisi
    Georgia
    November 10, 2023
    Georgien Premiere
    Award Winner, Category: Best Short Art/Experimental Film
  • 35th Girona Film Festival 2023
    Girona
    Spain
    November 12, 2023
    Spanish Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: Experimental - Video Creation
  • VAEFF – Video Art and Experimental Film Festival 2023
    New York City
    United States
    November 17, 2023
    North America Premiere, USA Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: Beauty Sex and Shame
  • YoFiFest, The Yonkers Film Festival 2023
    Yonkers
    United States
    November 18, 2023
    New Jersey Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: Queer Showcase
  • Fotogenia 2023
    Mexico City
    Mexico
    November 24, 2023
    South American, Mexican Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: Experimental Film (short film)
  • MiraBanART - Music and Design Fest 2023
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 25, 2023
    English Premiere
    Award Winner, Category: Best Music Arrangement and Composition
  • LuminaFlicks International Short Film Festival 2024
    Tirana
    Albania
    February 22, 2024
    Albanian Premiere
    Award Winner, Category: Best Short Film 5-!0 Min.
  • Milan Shorts Film Festival (Annnual Awards, 2023/2024)
    Milan
    Italy
    April 11, 2024
    Annual Award Winner, Category: Best Director (2023/2024)
  • Beesteon Film Festival 2024 (BIFA)
    Nottingham
    United Kingdom
    April 26, 2024
    East Midland s Premiere
    Official Selection, Category: "Revealing" (Pride)
  • 14th Pune Short Film Festival 2024
    Pune
    India
    June 3, 2024
    Central Asia Premiere, Indian Premiere
    Category: Best Experimental Film
  • Innovative Film Festival West Hollywood 2024
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 3, 2024
    Official Selection, Experimental Short
  • Creative Film Awards – Los Angeles 2024
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 20, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Director Talents Movie Awards 2025
    London
    United Kingdom
    February 24, 2025
    Official Selection,
Distribution Information
  • AT-Vertise GmbH
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Teymour Tehrani

DIRECTOR'S BIO

Teymour Tehrani is a German-Iranian filmmaker who works as a screenplay writer, director and producer in Berlin.

A graduate of Derby University with a BA, he later received his film directing MA with Distinction at the Northern Film School – Leeds Beckett University (UK). He had further postgraduate education at FAMU (Prague, CZ), Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ludwigsburg, GER) and was awarded the prestigious VGF scholarship to UCLA (USA). Since then, Teymour Tehrani has worked on both commercials and feature films.

His film “ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there“ (GER, 2021) was acknowledged around the world as one of the most valuable European contributions to the Black Lives Matter movement. Currently Teymour is touring the festival circuit with his internationally awarded film DISCONNECT. This artistic short premiered in the Midlands at the Beeston Film Festival 2024 and draws from personal experiences with mental health issues and the subject of personal transformation.

Teymour is currently working on the narrative feature "Hungry Hearts“ (W.T.), a collection of unique Berlin stories.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Motivation DISCONNECT

Four pages of notes are the basis of the short film DISCONNECT.

After a big cancer operation right next to my heart and the first time experiencing the disarming power of depression, I had to readjust my ambitions, emotions - my self image. Otherwise I would have been on a consistent downward spiral. It was the solitude of me vs. every single day.

I could not be demanding to myself anymore, as I used to be. I had to accept the stagnation and readjust myself by just letting go off everything I had defined myself with and what the world around me saw in me. It was at this period where I thought: Who am I? I came to the conclusion, I am a human being and I can not be more. Strangely I did not feel lesser of myself, in fact this felt like a very comforting answer. It made me redefine my gender role and what is associated with it. In my case, I would call it a spiritual enlightenment and I did not miss my stamina, my competitive edge, my hunger to be celebrated for my achievements. I did not miss this masculinity, which directed a sense of worthlessness and self-hate towards myself, when not fed.

Being simply a human provided balance and I learned to understand how much of my personality traits are in fact a social construct. I consciously understood that man and masculinity are two different things. A male is not brought up to fail and this is a failure. The ability to redefine myself saved my life and sparked a glimpse of light into my soul.

My artistic abilities never left me and provided comfort in the time I was not able to engage with the world. While I still recovered at the late stages of the depression, I felt I had to preserve this life defining time before it became a distant memory. I wanted to share my feeling of struggle and hope. I gathered all my energy and I experienced the trust of a beautiful, small film crew. Unlike every project before, I did not come with a finished vision of the film to set. I trusted the moment and the people. This alone makes this film so outstanding to myself and I consider this seven minutes short the greatest achievement of my artistic career. Maybe this film does not provide answers but it provides truth.

I came to set with four pages of notes – four pages of my life – four pages that manifested into DISCONNECT.