CONTROLLING THE CONTROLLER

CONTROLLING THE CONTROLLER
including in person Q&A with director Julia Milz
A Camping Trip – hippie vibes
by Sophie Bates
Netherlands, 2024, 20 min., English/Dutch Eng subs
A Camping Trip – hippie vibes features a group of friends, who all lived in a
Woongroep, a communal housing unit, often for low earners, artists, people who
value free time and low rent over the materialistic drive for high-rises, take-aways
and taxis. The group friendship forms around a routine of hanging out together and
drinking in the time of covid; they film each other sober and wasted. Not everyone
is happy to be the subject of Sophie’s film, but she continues anyway. They go
camping, finding a small patch of campsite to call their own. The pandemic comes
to an end, some relationships also end, the film becomes a record, a moment in
time captured intimately between friends.
Ich Daniel
by Julia Milz
Germany, 2023, 75 min., German Eng Subs
Julia’s first feature includes her recurring protagonist Daniel, a musician who is
stranded in Cuxhaven, a seaside town in Germany. Julia is intrigued by Daniel’s
talent and vulnerability. As the filmmaking process develops, Daniel takes control
from afar using only his cellphone to direct the project. At first, Julia is intrigued but
as time goes on she becomes overwhelmed by his demands and begins to
question the dynamics of their relationship. The film seems to surrender to the mind
of its protagonist as Daniel’s cries for attention and his struggles with identity and
belonging take centre stage. Yet, as the filmmaker moves physically away from her
protagonist, she eventually comes dangerously close to him in the editing room.
The film becomes a reflection of their intertwined destinies, raising the question: Is
Julia being manipulated or does she have more control than it seems? And if this is
a film about the nature of obsession and a potential stalker, who is, in fact, stalking
whom?
Curated and will be presented by visual artist / filmmaker Sophie Bates.
**Cineville valid at the door! **