DREAMING X

2021 / short film & single-channel film installation / 21:16

Dreaming X follows a woman's dreamlike journey inside a mysterious and dark universe on which she encounters a number of puzzling characters. The disorientated and hallucinatory journey, intensified by the confrontation with these societal archetypes, eventually leads her to a troupe of circus performers and magicians, who help her find herself.

The film draws on research on the intersections between dreams, phenomenology and queerness. A significant point of departure for the film comes from exploring the ideas of Sara Ahmed in her book ‘Queer Phenomenology’: how is it that people arrive to certain places? Why are we taken or pulled from one space to another, unconsciously? How do we make the strange feel familiar? Structured like a dream, and building on the history of queer cinema where lesbian representation is scarce, the film seeks to create a new language for lesbian identity and sisterhood.

Supported by Film London Artists' Moving Image Network (FLAMIN), Arts Council England, Gasworks London.

Writer, Director, Producer - Antonia Luxem
DOP - Jackie Teboul

Costumes - Simon Schmidt
Key Makeup - Emily Wouters

Set Design - Elouise Farley + Lady Wood
Movement Director - Wet Mess
Editor - Antonia Luxem
Grade - Karol Cybulski (CHEAT)
Sound Designer - Zhe Wu
Music - Techno Thriller + Zach Witness + Josephine Stephenson

Ishtar Currie Wilson as X

Hugo Nicolau as Judge