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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:
    Romania
  • 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.

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Director Statement

My mother always says "we used to have nothing". I am finally understanding what that actually means.
My documentary directing debut "Motherland." is my most personal work yet. In the film, my mother and I unite to trace back her biography from her childhood to her migration to Germany at age 21. "Motherland." enabled me to discover a whole new side of my family's history and enabled my mother to revisit and make peace with the past. More than anything, this is a story about community and family.