Alicja Wysocka and Vera Varlamova

30.11.2024, 16:00 – 20:00

Frankfurt LAB
Schmidtstr. 12
60326 Frankfurt

Hide and Seek explores themes of resilience, imagination, and the reimagining of societal norms in a world of increasing precarity. Centered on a group of elderly women—war migrants from Eastern Europe—the film delves into their personal stories and collective creativity to envision alternative futures. Through intimate storytelling and performative rituals, the women articulate their hopes and fears, crafting a narrative that blends memory, trauma, and speculative utopias. The film examines themes of migration, aging, and queerness while challenging the constraints of traditional family structures and capitalist systems. Inspired by theatrical pioneers like Tadeusz Kantor, Konstantin Stanislavski, and Bertolt Brecht, Hide and Seek combines visuals with a layered narrative that interweaves communal dreaming, shared rituals, and acts of creative resistance. The film invites audiences to reflect on collective survival and the power of imagination as a tool for crafting more inclusive and sustainable futures.

duration: approx. 20 min
director: Alicja Wysocka
camerawoman: Vera Varlamova
edit: Alicja Wysocka & Vera Varlamova
green screen: Gryffin Cook
cast: Liliia Chadaieva, Svitlana Gulevska, Oksana Plonska, Tamara Varlamova
special thanks to: Schirn Kunsthalle, Städel Museum, Städtische Bühnen Frankfurt am Main, Cafe Hemdhoch, Hotel Nizza

as part of Implantieren Festival 2024