SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN

Searching for the Perfect Gentleman — an Investigative Journey is a documentary about the search of an African barber shop poster. The virtual journey takes the viewer to various African, European and Asian countries, in order to find the place where it was originally created, produced and sold. What seems easy in the beginning turns out to be a demanding process, yet an interesting experience in accessing information, communicating with people from totally different backgrounds and indulging in uncertainty, to celebrate the search itself — wherever it may lead. The film shows how boundaries between originality and reproduction merge, in a world where everything can be remixed and reprinted easily. Searching for the Perfect Gentleman tells a multi-layered story about trust, persistence and interconnectedness in a globalized world.

LENA WINDISCH

Lena was born in 1991 in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. She is holding a Bachelor degree in Communication Design from Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle. Searching for the Perfect Gentleman is her first short film opus, created in 2019, during the master studies at Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

A simple analog object goes on a virtual journey around the world. By focusing on the small, a narrative about the big picture emerges. What appears humorous ultimately raises very serious questions. Will we search in vain for authenticity in the future? And is globalization a curse or a blessing? 

• Alternative Film/Video Belgrad
• Bamberger Kurzfilmtage
• Mecal Pro Barcelona International Short and Animation Festival
• Besides the Screen Brazil
• European Media Art Festival in Osnabrück, Germany

DOKer 2020 — Let IT dok!