Story
Every night, Insomnia manages to wake up her neighbors with a surprise visit. Janne also struggles with this, because lately she has been waking up around 2 a.m. and staying awake involuntarily for several hours. The resulting lack of rest turns into a seemingly unbreakable vicious circle.
Insomnia enjoys Janne’s attention, although she actually tries everything she can to get rid of the uninvited guest as quickly as possible. But the clock is ticking and her inner eccentric critic keeps reminding her of her failures, plaguing her with unpleasant memories and relentless reproaches. Insomnia’s presence keeps Janne awake all night until she suddenly realizes in despair what exactly is keeping her awake.
Through this confrontation, Janne turns her attention away from her own problems to the people in her neighborhood and realizes that they have found completely different ways to live with Insomnia, to trick her or to accept her presence. As Janne faces up to her problems, Insomnia loses her power and disappears.
My project is special because
Chronic fatigue is the most widespread widespread disease in Switzerland* In a world that is moving ever faster, the urgency for secure sleep and restful nights is increasing. At the same time, sleep is a universal basic need that is taboo. If you can’t sleep, it seems to be your own fault or even a challenge, because your own self-worth is strongly linked to productivity.
After all, there are enough measures to improve sleep. But insomnia is a beast that becomes more aggressive the closer you look at it. As a result, 70 percent of those affected constantly struggle with the fear of not being able to sleep.* At night, people are more prone to negative thoughts, wrong conclusions and impulsive behavior, which can have fatal effects on mental and physical health.* The irony that the fear of insomnia itself causes the symptoms, and the frustration of failing to find solutions, forms the basis of this tragicomedy.
Unlike other projects on the subject of insomnia, I want to draw attention to this absurdity with my story by telling it in a rather unconventional, humorous way and not aiming to label those affected or the main character or to show the one «right» way to deal with it. A social media campaign is planned to draw attention to both the topic and the short film. The short film will then be published on YouTube and Vimeo. The highlight will be a cinema premiere followed by a Q&A.
This is what I need backing for.
We are a team of students, freelancers and film-loving volunteers who put their heart and soul into the project. The university supports the diploma project with a contribution of CHF 1,000. Unfortunately, Swiss funding agencies and foundations do not award any money for diploma projects. However, as we have to cover the costs of location, transportation, equipment, props, costumes and, last but not least, catering for the cast and crew, we are dependent on your donation.
Who are we? Writing, directing, producing, editing and distribution: Miranda Winter Production: Peer Langenheim Assistant director: Peter Reutlinger Camera: Oliver Schmocker Camera assistant: Ralph Fässler Sound: Dominic Barmet Music: Moritz Lieberherr Mentor: Marc Lepetit Program and production management: Nico Lypitkas
