Motherland.

In this 33-minute documentary, the director travels to Transylvania, Romania with her mother, who grew up under Ceaușescu's dictatorship and migrated to Germany in 1989. The film explores the protagonist's life as a Transylvanian-Saxon, part of a German minority in Romania. Together, the mother-daughter-duo visit significant places, such as the protagonist's childhood home or the site of the Romanian revolution in Brașov. The documentary examines the concept belonging and the meaning of home.

  • Bianca Zylla
    Director
  • Bianca Zylla
    Producer
  • Leon Forthmann
    Director of Photography
  • Birk Menzel
    Sound Recordist
  • Berthold Frantz
    Additional Cinematography
  • Ansgar Wendt
    Additional Cinematography
  • Bianca Zylla
    Additional Cinematography
  • Bianca Zylla
    Edit
  • Yo.Kølors
    Colour Grading
  • David Wright
    Sound Mix
  • Beshr Alnashawati
    Animation
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Daheim.
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    32 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    6,500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany, Romania
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz
Director Biography - Bianca Zylla

Born and raised in Mainz, Germany, Bianca Zylla's interest in film began at age 8 when she first started to record and edit videos. Later, her studies in Ethnology and Audiovisual Publishing at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz provided her with knowledge on the production of journalistic videos. She continued to work for CampusTV Mainz and completed an internship at the ZDF news studio in Nairobi, Kenya, where she co-produced several reports which were broadcast nationwide on German TV. Furthermore, she participated in the production of several non-fictional and commercial projects with the production company In The Mirror Films in Barcelona, Spain. Now based between Spain and Germany, Bianca Zylla has made it her mission to tell meaningful stories as a documentary director.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

My documentary directing debut "Motherland." is my most personal work to date. In the film, I explore my mother's biography from her childhood to her move to Germany. Together, we travel back to Transylvania, where she grew up, and explore my family's life under communism as a German minority in Romania.
More than anything, I hope the documentary conveys the importance of human connection and family.