2022 - 50' – German, dialect (Available subtitles: German, Italian, English)
Alarmed by the news of her mother wanting to leave the family and her duties behind, Isabella returns to her family’s home in the Austrian countryside. There she is faced with the harsh reality of her grandma having dementia and no longer remembering the present nor the past.
Isabella Friedl was born in 1994 in Braunau am Inn. After completing her studies in digital design and film production in Auckland, New Zealand, she moved to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, where she worked as an intern at two television stations. She used to work as a publishing assistant at a publishing house in Vienna and illustrated a children's book. Afterwards she traveled the world with her backpack for 7 years, did various art projects, shot a couple of short films and worked as a developmental instructor in Central America and the Caribbean. From there, she applied to the ZeLIG film school, where she began her studies in 2019 with a focus on directing/project development. During her 3 years studying in Italy she completed multiple films, was awarded a scholarship for Film Art in Belgrad, where she helped develop and edited a short filmed called “ Vrati se- come back “in 2021, as well as a full scholarship for Project development during the Filmfestival in Zagreb 2022. Her latest works included a music video with african refugees in Italy called “Searching for myself”, as well as her diploma film, Cloudy Memories, where she is reflecting on her grandma's dementia as well as the female duty to “take care” even if you might not want to do so.
Born in Milan on June 12, 2000, she has lived in Merano (BZ) since 2001. After graduating from the School of Fine Arts-WOB in Bolzano, starting in 2019, she continued her studies at the documentary film school ZeLIG in the same city. As an editing student, she edited several films, including: "Estranee", directed by Marija Stefānija Linuza, a film which deals with the theme of belonging to two different nations and the difficulties that this entails, and her graduation film "Cloudy Memories," directed by Isabella Friedl, which deals with the harsh reality of dementia and intricate family relationships. Parallel to her studies, Demetra has always dedicated herself to artistic projects in photography, painting and audiovisuals.
"Crossing Europe" International Film Festival - Best Film "Local Artists"
"Ethnocineca" International Documentary Film Festival - ADA Award as Best Austrian Documentary
As a director I felt conflicted by showing my own roots and my slightly crazy and chaotic family in the Austrian countryside, but I also felt a need to do so. I wanted to make a film showing the ambivalence in life as well as in love. A film about my mother taking care of my grandmother and their relationship since grandma got dementia four years ago, but somehow also made a film about the relationship my mother and I had all our life, trauma and conflicts being transmitted through generations, if one wants to fix those predestined patterns, she/he must not look forward but back, into the past.
Country of production: Italy
Shooting Format(s): HD 1080@25p
Original Master Format: HD 1080@25p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Screening Format: DCP, Apple ProRes or any on request
Audio Format: Stereo (2.0)
Running time: 50’
Subtitles available: German / English / Italian
Director: Isabella Friedl
Cinematographer: Isabella Friedl
Editor: Demetra Rizzi
Soundrecordist: Isabella Friedl
ZeLIG is located in Bolzano, Italy, a multilingual city where different cultures live together. The school is a place of exchange for students, teachers and film professionals from all over the world.
At ZeLIG the spoken languages are German, Italian and English. This creative approach to linguistic variety opens the gates to the international markets and to future opportunities.
