Until the moon is born in the west
(2023|24min)
Together with dancers who have experienced war and flight the dance short film "Until the moon is born in the west" is narrating the path of one human being on the run through movement and sound: From the feeling of hopelessness in a destroyed home, the suffocating fear when being on the run at sea to desolation and all the hopes when arriving in Berlin.
In a shattered home between ceasefire and bombing raids, Joy simply tries to live and free herself from the burden of her history. Driven away from her home, the mere hope of a future as motivation, she sets off underwater across the Mediterranean. A fight for survival begins. In the tumult of a foreign city, she arrives and is now faced with new challenges - moving between rapprochement and alienation.
Gemeinsam mit Tänzer*innen, die Krieg und Flucht erfahren haben, erzählt der Tanzfilm "Until the moon is born in the west" in Bewegung und Klang den Weg eines Menschen auf der Flucht: vom alltäglichen Ohnmachtsgefühl in einer zerbombten Heimat über die erstickende Angst während der Flucht durchs Mittelmeer bis zur Verlorenheit und der Hoffnung beim Ankommen in einer fremden Stadt.
In einem zertrümmerten Heim zwischen Waffenstillstand und Bombenangriffen versucht Joy einfach nur zu leben und sich von der Last ihrer Geschichte zu befreien. Fortgetrieben aus ihrem Zuhause, die bloße Hoffnung auf eine Zukunft als Antrieb, begibt sie sich unter Wasser auf den Weg durchs Mittelmeer. Ein Kampf ums Überleben beginnt. Im Getümmel der fremden Großstadt findet sie sich wieder und steht nun - sich zwischen Annäherung und Entfremdung bewegend - vor neuen Herausforderungen.
Together with dancers who have experienced war and flight the dance short film "Until the moon is born in the west" is narrating the path of one human being on the run through movement and sound: From the feeling of hopelessness in a destroyed home, the suffocating fear when being on the run at sea to desolation and all the hopes when arriving in Berlin.
In a shattered home between ceasefire and bombing raids, Joy simply tries to live and free herself from the burden of her history. Driven away from her home, the mere hope of a future as motivation, she sets off underwater across the Mediterranean. A fight for survival begins. In the tumult of a foreign city, she arrives and is now faced with new challenges - moving between rapprochement and alienation.
Gemeinsam mit Tänzer*innen, die Krieg und Flucht erfahren haben, erzählt der Tanzfilm "Until the moon is born in the west" in Bewegung und Klang den Weg eines Menschen auf der Flucht: vom alltäglichen Ohnmachtsgefühl in einer zerbombten Heimat über die erstickende Angst während der Flucht durchs Mittelmeer bis zur Verlorenheit und der Hoffnung beim Ankommen in einer fremden Stadt.
In einem zertrümmerten Heim zwischen Waffenstillstand und Bombenangriffen versucht Joy einfach nur zu leben und sich von der Last ihrer Geschichte zu befreien. Fortgetrieben aus ihrem Zuhause, die bloße Hoffnung auf eine Zukunft als Antrieb, begibt sie sich unter Wasser auf den Weg durchs Mittelmeer. Ein Kampf ums Überleben beginnt. Im Getümmel der fremden Großstadt findet sie sich wieder und steht nun - sich zwischen Annäherung und Entfremdung bewegend - vor neuen Herausforderungen.
With Mit
Joy Alpuerto Ritter
Ali Enani
Marcelo Omine
Lujain Mustafa
Mouafak Aldoabl
Exocé Kasongo
Joana Kern
Osman Osman
Writer & Director Buch & Regie
Lea Bethke
Production Produktion
Firmament & Sinne Film
Choreographers Choreographie
Raphael Moussa Hillebrand & Medhat Aldaabal
Director of Photography Kamera
Jonas Kolahdoozan and Jacob Sauermilch
Editor Schnitt
Jonas Harmsen
Music Composer Musikkomponist
Manouk Roussyalian
Sound Designer Sounddesign
Alexander Acevedo
Set Designer Szenenbild
Kayra A. Cekiç
Costume Designer Kostümbild
Maria Wallenstein
Awards & Festivals Preise & Festivals
Winner Best Screendance Film over 10min at San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2023,
Winner Best Film Director at All That Moves Int. Film Festival in São Paulo 2023,
3rd Price in Official Competition at VideodanzaBA in Buenos Aires 2023,
Official Competition Award Nominee at Dance Camera West in Los Angeles 2024
Filmfest Dresden - Panorama National 2024
Short Film Matters - Five Star Review - Handpicked 2024
In Shadow in Portugal 2025
Joy Alpuerto Ritter
Ali Enani
Marcelo Omine
Lujain Mustafa
Mouafak Aldoabl
Exocé Kasongo
Joana Kern
Osman Osman
Writer & Director Buch & Regie
Lea Bethke
Production Produktion
Firmament & Sinne Film
Choreographers Choreographie
Raphael Moussa Hillebrand & Medhat Aldaabal
Director of Photography Kamera
Jonas Kolahdoozan and Jacob Sauermilch
Editor Schnitt
Jonas Harmsen
Music Composer Musikkomponist
Manouk Roussyalian
Sound Designer Sounddesign
Alexander Acevedo
Set Designer Szenenbild
Kayra A. Cekiç
Costume Designer Kostümbild
Maria Wallenstein
Awards & Festivals Preise & Festivals
Winner Best Screendance Film over 10min at San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2023,
Winner Best Film Director at All That Moves Int. Film Festival in São Paulo 2023,
3rd Price in Official Competition at VideodanzaBA in Buenos Aires 2023,
Official Competition Award Nominee at Dance Camera West in Los Angeles 2024
Filmfest Dresden - Panorama National 2024
Short Film Matters - Five Star Review - Handpicked 2024
In Shadow in Portugal 2025
Press
“Lea Bethke’s experimental piece, ‘Until the Moon is Born in the West’ is an exemplar of cinematic storytelling that transcends the norm. [...] The film stands as a powerful reminder of the human toll of conflict and displacement, offering a profound meditation on resilience and the universal quest for sanctuary. Bethke’s visionary direction, coupled with the exceptional talent of the cast and crew, culminates in an unforgettable watch that merits the highest praise.”
Short Film Matters 2024
“The strength and complexity of the film’s visuals beautifully support a moving in timely narrative about the challenges faced by immigrants and refugees. [...] In the use of striking imagery and movement the film drives home an impactful message.”
San Francisco Dance Film Festival Jury 2023
“The burden of violence [...] is characterized by the motif of the "drive for life". It is in this motif that the work finds its narrative engine. Remarkable is the quality of the poetic operation generated from the games of contrast based on spatial, scenic and choreographic elements and the camera-body relationship, as well as the body-environment variations [...] and the language of movement that is of performative excellence. ”
Videodanzaba Jury 2023
“Lea Bethke’s experimental piece, ‘Until the Moon is Born in the West’ is an exemplar of cinematic storytelling that transcends the norm. [...] The film stands as a powerful reminder of the human toll of conflict and displacement, offering a profound meditation on resilience and the universal quest for sanctuary. Bethke’s visionary direction, coupled with the exceptional talent of the cast and crew, culminates in an unforgettable watch that merits the highest praise.”
Short Film Matters 2024
“The strength and complexity of the film’s visuals beautifully support a moving in timely narrative about the challenges faced by immigrants and refugees. [...] In the use of striking imagery and movement the film drives home an impactful message.”
San Francisco Dance Film Festival Jury 2023
“The burden of violence [...] is characterized by the motif of the "drive for life". It is in this motif that the work finds its narrative engine. Remarkable is the quality of the poetic operation generated from the games of contrast based on spatial, scenic and choreographic elements and the camera-body relationship, as well as the body-environment variations [...] and the language of movement that is of performative excellence. ”
Videodanzaba Jury 2023
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