We follow a dancer in an underwater world. What initially appears as a fragile symbiosis of movement and material gradually turns into a suffocating struggle. The plastic bag coils around her body, depriving her of air. In this dance, the dancer fights for breath, control, and life. With this film, I aim to make the “dance” of underwater life tangible. A dance that, for many of these creatures, ends in cruelty and death. It is a silent struggle for survival, in which countless marine animals suffocate painfully due to plastic waste. Our society produces enormous amounts of waste, including plastic that finds its way into the marine ecosystems we are meant to protect. While major corporations bear a significant share of the responsibility, part of this responsibility also lies with us as individuals. A mindful approach to how we handle our waste, in particular, can make a decisive difference. The film is intended as an appeal to take this responsibility seriously and to stop normalizing environmental pollution.

Filmmaker details: Tania Gentidou

Tania Gentidou is a 24 year old, greek-german film student, who grew up in Oberhausen, Germany. She discovered her passion for film through her favorite school subject, music-art class, and the related visits to the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen while in 9th grade. She is currently studying Film at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund. There, she enthusiastically supported student and non-student film sets. Her work engages with socially relevant issues, which she connects through physical forms of expression and visual storytelling. Inspired by her close connection to the sea and her engagement with the consequences of the climate crisis, this project emerged as a personal concern. Last Breath marks her directorial debut. Her shortfilm “Last Breath” premiered in Athens at the Greece International Film Festival and won “Best First-Time Filmmaker” and received at the Alexandroupolis Film Festival an “Social Impact Honorable Mention” Award.