STIGMA

During a drawing lesson, the model begins to bleed unstoppably from the eyes and hands. The artists continue to paint untouched. As the blood spreads around the studio, they dip their brushes into the red colour.
A short film about a group of young artists who become victims of themselves.

  • Max Porstmann
    Director
  • Max Porstmann
    Writer
  • Benita Koch
    Producer
  • Timon Wentz
    Producer
  • Tobias Meßenzehl
    Producer
  • Petra Weimer
    Key Cast
    "Theresa"
  • Louis Umbach
    Key Cast
    "Eins"
  • Lasse Lehmann
    Key Cast
    "Zwei"
  • Janne Pauline Böhm
    Key Cast
    "Drei"
  • Melanie Nguyên Pietsch
    Key Cast
    "Vier"
  • Nele Holzmann
    Key Cast
    "Fünf"
  • Aljoscha Wuzella
    Director of Photography
  • Lahiru Madushanka
    Editor
  • Leon Maximilian Brückner
    Music
  • Constantin Rinke
    Music
  • Leonie Enslin
    Production Design
  • Janina Wesnigk
    Production Design
  • Laura Mendoza Gleser
    Costume design
  • Philipp Bäumen
    VFX Supervisor
  • Aaron Eisel
    VFX Artist
  • Sören Schmidt-Clausen
    VFX Artist
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    STIGMA
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 24, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    German
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
  • Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival
    Brussel
    Belgium
    April 19, 2025
    World Premiere
  • Sehsüchte
    Potsdam
    Germany
    April 24, 2025
    National Premiere
Director Biography - Max Porstmann

Max Porstmann, born in Dresden and raised in a small town in Saxony, has been studying directing at the Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg since 2022. His work explores themes of faith and collective behaviour, often drawing on his own biographical background. His productions include 'One Way Ticket' (2022, Theater Junge Generation Dresden) and the performance 'A Shot is Fired During the Performance' (2024, ADK Baden-Württemberg). With 'Stigma' he realised his first film project.

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Director Statement

Every year I go on vacation with my parents to the Upper Palatinate. There is a small Catholic village where a woman lived who supposedly had the stigmata of Jesus, she bled from her hands and eyes on Fridays and didn't eat anything apart from the Host for years. As a child, I found that very disturbing. Last summer, I read up on the subject of the stigmata and finally went to the museum.
I perceived the Bavarian village as a closed social cosmos; as a bubble in which people collectively believe that people can bleed from their hands and eyes. That fascinates me.
With “Stigma”, I am now investigating the influence of the social microcosms in which we live on our world view.
One such microcosm is the art world. The bohemian world. Where everyone fights for this art. Where art occupies a religious-sacred position.