Berlin Fellowship 2023 — Film and Media Arts

Vita

Mehdi Jahan is a filmmaker, video artist, and teacher from Guwahati, Assam, India. His work addresses normative, dominant and mainstream modes of image production, incorporating elements from the rich oral storytelling traditions of his region, cultivating a purely sensorial aesthetic through narrative and material experimentations to arrive at a synthesis between personal and collective histories, generating a language of film closer to poetry, memories, and dreams. His films have been screened and exhibited in several places internationally and nationally at film festivals and exhibitions. The first retrospective of his films was held at Millennium Film Workshop, New York, 2023.

Residency

I am currently developing a feature length fiction film. Sukaina, a documentary filmmaker, comes across the myth of The Dolphin Woman, which is a representation of feminine sexuality, resistance and freedom, while researching for her new film in a remote village in Assam. She begins documenting the women of the Sufi community of the village and their stories. Over time, her fascination with the Dolphin Woman intensifies, consuming her entire being. Another idea is to make a video essay, exploring the relationship between German and Indian Cinema from the silent to the contemporary era. I am looking forward to the mentoring and access to the Akademie archives, which will help my projects tremendously.

Recommended by Valeska Grisebach.