Germany / France / Austria | 19' | 2023
Catching Birds by Lea Marie Lembe & Simon M. Kubiena
Short synopsis:
The sixteen year old wrestler Anouk is well integrated in the male-dominated parisian wrestling team. She trains with her best friend Louis but gets distracted by a new team member, who raises her interest. By following her first feelings of sexual desire she experiences the insecurity of her male colleagues and especially of her best friend.
Lea Marie Lembke grew up in Berlin, where she studied philosophy and film studies at Freie Universität Berlin. She gained her first experiences in film working as an assistant director and casting coordinator for renowned film productions. As well as directing her own short films and short- documentaries. Since 2019/20 she studies directing at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. She was selected for the scholarship exchange semester at the Parisian film school La Fémis in 2021. Simon Maria Kubiena, born in Vienna in 1998 was introduced to filmmaking through acting, both at the Burgtheater in Vienna and in Austrian film productions. He participated in several film and acting workshops, including one at the Prague Film School. Since 2019, he has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and attended the film school La Fémis in Paris for an exchange semester. His short films have been screened internationally at film festivals, including the Berlinale in 2022.