Gwen 49/52

 

Filmmaker of the inspiring film „WEIT“. A documentary which tells the personal story of a journey around the world, he made with her boyfriend Patrick and later joined by their new born son. 

The encounters with people from all over the world, landscapes and own experiences and reflections of travelling are captured in this film in a Meeting Patrick and Gwen after their filmscreening in Cologne was a pleasure. 

 

HAPPINESS

 

It makes me happy to see other people beeing happy. And to make people happy, for some reason. Spring makes me happy as well: the first flowers, the birds singing, the first warm days... And, of course, to watch my son discovering the world with his small hands, his small feet and his innocent mind.

 

HOME

 

While travelling we asked many people this question. And the answers mostly includes people who they love. And I understand why people always connect home and the once they love. I feel the same. But there is also more to it: I guess home is also the place, where there is a memory waiting for you behind every corner. It may be a sound, it may be a smell or just some moment you remember when passing by.

 

LIFE

 

When I was thirteen years old, my parents did have another baby. Me any my three older sibelings where totaly suprised that there was someone else who had been waiting for so long to join our family. Our youngest brother, Merlin, was born in April 2005. I remember the night, when my sister woke me up to tell me that my mom was having the baby – I got up, went down to my parents room and watched Merlin being born. My whole family was there – 6 people welcomed the tiny baby with the long fingers and the awake eyes.

 

For my 17th birthday, my best friends gave me a very special present: They told me that I need to take some days off, and I should wait what would be happening then. The first morning of this days I woke up and I found a packed backpack infront of my door. It containt some food, some clothes, a sleeping back and a knife. An it containt a batch of letters and a envelope with answers to questions I would most probabyl be asking myself during the short trip. Also there was a ticket, valid for 3 days, covering our whole state. 

I left home, took a train to the black forest, hitch-hiked to the Donau, slept alone in the forest, visited a friend I haven't been visiting in a very long time, met people, met myself and red many of the letters and answers my friends prepaird for me. For one of the first times in my life, I was confronted with myself. It was not a very long trip, but for sure a very important one.I felt grown up, I guess :)

 

The last thing I'll mention here is the day I saw Patrick for the first time. I went to a concert, Patrick was there to film it. I saw him standing on a pedestal, I knew that this person would become very important to me. It took a few months before we met again and he felt the same in reference to me.

Now, 5 years later, I have surrounded the world with him, shared a 2 square meter tent with him for more than three years, can call him the father of our wonderful son. And I still remember the feeling I had when I saw him for the first time...

 

Patrick's question: Imagine yourself 30 years ahead from now. What would a perfect day look like for you? 

 

There are so many different perfekt days I can envision. But in the end they all have three things incommen: A world in harmony. A colourfull crowd of people that respect each other. And the qualities of the children: Activity, curiousity and trust.

 

Gwen's question: What would you do if you were brave enough to do it?

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