Private Project

Isla Santa María & Isla del Trueno

Graw Böckler's film documents a journey to a magical Pacific island in the Bay of Arauco, as well as the filming of a collaborative Super-8 project. The islanders harvesting seaweed and the animals roaming freely are given as much attention as the ambitious film collective. Excursions, shared meals, planning, filming and the group members' self-reflection become absurd theatre and material for Graw Böckler's creative experimentation. Isla Santa María is the 70-minute 'making of' for the three-minute Super-8 film Isla del Trueno by the Grupo de Búsqueda from Concepción, Chile. In 'Isla del Trueno', a young woman travels to an island off the coast of Chile to join the local resistance against exploitation by speculators. Both films are shown back-to-back, starting with the 70-minute Making-of „Isla Santa María“ and ending with the results of the documented efforts: the three-minute experimental Super-8 film „Isla del Trueno“.

  • Graw Böckler
    Director
  • Mario Gomez
    Director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Isla Santa María & Isla del Trueno
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2026
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Graw Böckler, Mario Gomez

Short Biography – Graw Böckler
Ursula Böckler (*1965) and Georg Graw (*1966) have been working together as the artist duo Graw Böckler since 1997, primarily in the fields of video and photography. Since 2009, they have been based in Berlin. In addition to their artistic practice, Graw Böckler curate exhibitions and screenings. Since 2018, they have run the project space Graw Böckler Garage. In 2022, they organized the garageN festival in the Plänterwald district of Berlin. Ursula Böckler is also a co-director of the Radical Film Network Meeting Berlin.
Selected Exhibitions:
Pandemic Walk, Au Jus, Brussels (2024); Fuera De Ritmo, Punto de Cultura Federico Ramirez, Concepción (2024); Concepción, JUBG Cologne (2023); orasi, bir, kadar, Istanbul (2022, group exhibition); Residence 6, West Germany, Berlin (2022); Old Fashion, Alter Luisenstädter Friedhof, Berlin (2020); Graw Böckler Retrospective, Papiripar Festival, Hamburg (2019).
Selected Projects:
Concepción (2023–25), Residence 6 (2017–20), Old Fashion (2017–2020), Let’s Talk about the Weather (2014–17), Super-8-Reels (2010–17), Question to Radio Yerevan (2012–2013), Unauthorized Commercials (2005–10).
Direction, camera work, and concept development for a wide range of music videos and films in various formats (1996–2024). First and second prize, MUVI section, Oberhausen Short Film Festival (2000/2004).
International Residencies:
Chile (2023, 2024, 2025), Turkey (2017–18), Brazil (2016–17), Mexico (2015), Argentina (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014).
Grants:
Graw Böckler received the Berlin Senate Cultural Exchange Grant (2023), Neustart Kultur – Stiftung Kunstfonds (2022), Artist-in-Residence Istanbul, Berlin Senate (2017–18), Research Grant, Berlin Senate (U. Böckler 2016), Working Grant from Stiftung Kunstfonds (1998).
Curatorial Work:
Graw Böckler Garage exhibition space in Kreuzberg (since 2018); garageN festival in Berlin Plänterwald (2022); Radical Film Network Meeting (co-directed by U. Böckler, 2019/21); After the Crisis festival (2012); co-curators of the project space General Public in Berlin (2009–2013); Commercial for a Concept (2007) and Loop Pool (2005–07) for the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen; directors of Raum für Projektion in Cologne and the associated DVD label (2001–2011).
Portfolio:
www.grawboeckler.de

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Their video and photo works reflect everyday situations, focusing on the gap between ideology and reality. Graw Böckler often reinterpret popular formats such as commercials (Commercials for a Concept, Unauthorized Commercial), music videos (various), interviews (After the Crisis), or jokes (Question to Radio Yerevan). Their footage is documentary but is dramatized in post-production through editing, effects, or textual elements. Their photographic works are presented in exhibitions and books. Their artistic practice is further expanded through painting, installation, and sculpture.