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Stephan Bookas

Stephan Bookas

Whatnot Films
Director, Producer and Screenwriter

London, England

Member Since:
May 2014
Last online:
5 days ago
Invites sent:
0

About Stephan

Stephan is a London-based US/German writer/director, producer and cinematographer. He has shot and directed award winning documentaries and short films across much of the globe and is currently working on multiple international fiction, animation and documentary projects. His short film “Refugee Blues” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and has gone on to win numerous awards all over the world and his feature film “Porno Uncle Jim” has premiered at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival to critical acclaim.

Gender:
Male

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Silence! - Short Comedy Film

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Credits

  • Detached

    Detached (2022)
    Documentary by Stephan Bookas Director/Producer A quiet and candid meditation, "Detached" is a documentary film depicting life on New Zealand's picturesque railway lines, where the beauty of the landscape is set against the stark reality of regular fatalities on the tracks.

  • It's Not Safe Outside

    It's Not Safe Outside (2021)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Producer As the air has become unbreathable, humanity has learned to adapt and reorganise itself, living in isolation. Carla rarely leaves her apartment just like anyone else. The unbroken cycle of sleep, eat, work is taking its toll. Then one day a young couple moves into the apartment in the building opposite. Carla's life is about to change.

  • Porno Uncle Jim

    Porno Uncle Jim (2021)
    Documentary by Stephan Bookas Director/Producer "Porno Uncle Jim" follows a nephew's search to uncover the truth behind his infamous and controversial great-uncle, J.J. Proferes, Washington, D.C.'s forgotten king of porn. Described as a "renaissance man", J.J. was instrumental in the gay rights struggle of the 1960s and 70s and his rise to becoming the "Sultan of an X-Rated Empire" (Washington Post) is an as-yet-untold story of a man who lived life at its extremes. "Porno Uncle Jim" shines a light on the gay scene of the 60s and 70s, the history of gay rights amid the rise of obscenity laws in America, ending in J.J.'s bizarre and eccentric life being turned on its head.

  • The Sessions

    The Sessions (2021)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Writer/Producer Day after day, Sarah joins a group of people as they try to overcome their deepest fears by confronting them in virtual reality. Then one day it's her turn and as she faces her own trauma she discovers something about the group's leader that puts everything else in question.

  • The Hundred Year Feud

    The Hundred Year Feud (2021)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas (Comedy) Director/Writer/Producer In the small Serbian village of Zagužanje, every household has a band and for the most part, these families live together in peaceful harmony. However, there are two families between whom a feud has been raging for generations. Nobody remembers what the Hundred Year Feud is about, but every year, the rivalry continues. This year however, the families discover something about each other which may finally bring the feud to an end.

  • Silence!

    Silence! (2020)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Writer Jacques is a down-on-his-luck street musician in 1927 Paris, but when his music finally touches the heart of Julie, his luck seems to change for the better. Through a series of circumstances, Jacques suddenly finds himself a silent film character in modern day Paris, unable to make any sounds or communicate with anyone. Will he find a way back to his own world and reunite with Julie?

  • Heart Rate

    Heart Rate (2020)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Writer/Producer Dave Watts is a risk analyst, which is why he never takes any risks. On his birthday however, he is prompted to call someone who means the world to him, which to him is the biggest risk of them all. As he keeps putting it off, his heart rate is sinking continuously and the world around him gets faster and faster as he keeps slowing down. Dave starts taking ever bigger risks to get his heart rate back up but everything fails until ultimately there's only one thing left to do.

  • I See My World Shaking

    I See My World Shaking (2020)
    Documentary by Stephan Bookas Director/Producer A documentary poem set during the aftermath of the Nepal earthquakes, illustrating the resilience, strength and capacity to move forward of the Nepalese people.

  • Cancrelat

    Cancrelat (2019)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Writer/Producer On a trip to Prague, Cheilla discovers a magical copy of Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis". In an attempt to ditch her thick-witted friends on a night out, she starts reading the book and wakes up the next morning transformed into a bug. Now Cheilla must find the ending to Kafka's story in order to discover what will happen to her.

  • Walls

    Walls (2017)
    Film (short) by Stephan Bookas Director/Writer/Producer The lines of reality are blurred when a young woman receives a cryptic message from the other side of a mysterious wall.

  • Refugee Blues

    Refugee Blues (2016)
    Documentary by Stephan Bookas / Tristan Daws Director/Writer/Producer Set to the verses of W.H. Auden’s 1939 poem, ‘Refugee Blues’ charts a day in ‘the jungle’, the refugee camp outside Calais. More intimate and unlike much of what has been seen in the mass media, this documentary poem counterpoints the camp’s harsh reality of frequent clashes with the French riot police with its inhabitants’ longing for a better future.

  • Nation on Fire

    Nation on Fire (2015)
    Documentary by Stephan Bookas Director/Producer Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, has been gripped by unrest in recent times. This is a unique portrait of a nation in suspense, a nation in fear, a nation in waiting. This short documentary is unlike others made about the Ukrainian Revolution. It's a rare and exclusive snapshot of the days after the riots but before the storm.

Awards

  • Detached - Award for Best Short Film (Argenteuil International Film Festival)
    (2022)

  • The Hundred Year Feud - Best Short Film (Serbian Film Carnival)
    (2022)

  • Detached - Semi-Finalist (Sweden Film Awards)
    (2022)

  • It's Not Safe Outside - Honorable Mention (Cinematic European Film Festival)
    (2021)

  • It's Not Safe Outside - Award for Best Short Film (Argenteuil International Film Festival)
    (2021)

  • It's Not Safe Outside - Finalist (Sweden Film Awards)
    (2021)

  • Heart Rate - Best Absurd Film (Assurdo Film Festival)
    (2021)

  • The Hundred Year Feud - Semi-Finalist (Lisbon Film Rendezvous)
    (2021)

  • Heart Rate - Finalist (Picentia Short Film Festival)
    (2020)

  • Silence! - Special Jury Mention (Short of the Year)
    (2020)

  • The Sessions - Semi-Finalist (ROS Film Festival)
    (2020)

  • Refugee Blues - Hombres Videopoetry Award
    (2019)

  • Cancrelat - Finalist (Fabulosis Short Film Night)
    (2019)

  • Walls - Semi-Finalist (Cinema of the World International Film Festival)
    (2018)

  • Refugee Blues - Semi-Finalist (Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival)
    (2017)

  • Refugee Blues - Best European Documentay Award (ECU - European Independent Film Festival)
    (2017)

  • Refugee Blues - Lumen Award for Best Documentary (Corto Creativo Short Film Festival)
    (2016)

  • Refugee Blues - Special Jury Mention / Confrontations Competition (Interfilm Berlin)
    (2016)

  • Refugee Blues - Best International Short Film (As Film Festival Rome)
    (2016)

  • Walls - Winner Best Short Film (Borders Film Festival Paris)
    (2016)

  • Refugee Blues - Semi-Finalist (Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival)
    (2016)

  • Refugee Blues - Semi-Finalist ( Festival de Cortometrajes "Jose Francisco Rosado" PACAS Festival)
    (2016)

  • Nation On Fire - Best Documentary (Ugu Film Festival)
    (2015)

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