Private Project

DISCONNECT (limited time link)

HE (27) feels like a failure. Haunted by his demons and in question of his masculine capabilities, he just manages to pull away from his mirror reflection just before his spirit is broken. To his surprise he finds himself on a journey, where he rediscovers himself in a new way and recovers his will to live.

  • Teymour Tehrani
    Director
  • Teymour Tehrani
    Writer
  • Teymour Tehrani
    Producer
  • Titus Kraus
    Key Cast
  • Karlotta Kawalla
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Teymour Tehrani

About the Director of DISCONNECT
Teymour Tehrani

Teymour Tehrani is a German-Iranian filmmaker who works as a screenplay writer, director and producer. He received education at the Northern Film School (UK), FAMU (CZ), Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ludwigsburg, GER) and was awarded a scholarship to the UCLA (USA). Since, Teymour Tehrani has worked on both commercials and feature films. His last film “ANIETIÉ, and the Sky will be there“ was acknowledged around the world, as a valuable European contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement.

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.