Films by Tom Claudon

2022, 45 min
by Tom Claudon, Dana Melaver

How does a tomato change our sense of time?Sleepless Birds tracks the rise of artificially-lit, industrial greenhouses in the French region of Bretagne. The film presents the environmental impact of grow lights on rhythm and perception of time, through wide-ranging interviews, artistic illustration, camera-based research, and footage from the Bretagne ecosystem. In examining the case of agricultural light pollution, the film also raises questions about the unintended consequences of human attempts to overpower nature and control the elements.

Germany 2022, 24 min
by Bernadette Hauke

Who doesn’t dream of being able to touch the clouds one day? Nele wants to go up in the skies in a hot air balloon and to take her walking-impaired mother with her. The 10-year-old has a lot to achieve – and always finds a solution. [38 DOK.fest München, Maya Reichert]On the balcony Nele is really close to the clouds, though it would be much nicer to take a balloon ride and be even closer. The plan isn’t easy to realise, as Nele’s mother has mobility problems. They need help with every activity and their daily life is co-organised by many other people. They are doing fine together, but a trip in a hot air balloon would be something else … [66 DOK Leipzig, Lina Dinkla]

Germany 2021, 25 min
by Bernadette Hauke

Insects are neither cute nor beautiful, but very exciting, thinks eleven-year-old Pepe from Berlin. His favorite animals are dragonflies, which control their four wings individually and can take off faster than a jet. And the bombardier beetle, which sprays hot poison in the face of its enemies so that it is not eaten. But where do these insects still exist and how do they live? Pepe knows that many insects are going extinct in Germany because their habitat is being taken away. He wants to change that!

Germany 2020, 25 min
by Bernadette Hauke

When the ground wobbles under his feet, Laurin knows: only a few roots prevent it from sinking into the swamp. He doesn't find that scary, but rather exciting. Marshes are habitat for many plants and animals and they store more CO2 than all trees combined. That is why Laurin wants to prevent peat from being extracted and the last of the marshes from being destroyed imore and more.