Omid
Aachen — Berlin
Imagine living on the streets — is it a choice or a consequence? How do you structure your day? What’s in your backpack? What are your daily decisions? What is the balance of your freedom and finances, how do you manage a day without money? Are you a lone wolf or part of a caring community? What are your hobbies?
In a way the homeless people are true rebels, nomadic individuals making a living outside the standard boxes of our society. When I moved to Berlin I got instantly enchanted by observing the city’s vivid street life and soon started a documentary film project Streets of Berlin to study this urban lifestyle. The project aims to make invisible more visible through personal interview encounters. 100% real and 100 % unscripted. Project started in August 2013 and won a Deutscher Multimediapreis MB21 in 2015.
I found the lives on the streets to be as remarkable and unique as the more usual ones. Some of the people I interviewed carried a dream of having a regular life and others were dedicated to never leave the street life behind. Many said they couldn’t imagine living in a house anymore — for them living on the go without excess of possessions or any obligation for comebacks stands for real freedom.
I think moving to Berlin was one of the best decisions of my life. The vibe of the city is certainly something special! Seeing everyone around you doing passionate projects really pushes you to create. In a city like Berlin you can live free of village thinkers, the ones whispering “Oh, he is doing something else!” behind your back and wasting your time with the weight of their fears and doubts. You can be who you are, look how you want, do your thing and get support — in a big city you will always find someone who thinks like you. Perhaps without Berlin, I wouldn’t be a film director. These days work mainly with documentaries and music videos.
I challenge all film makers and creatives to discover the street life of Berlin! You are free to join my Streets of Berlin project through collaboration. Grab your camera, hit the streets and produce some authentic films!
www.facebook.com/berlinstreets
www.facebook.com/aghaomidfilms
