Polyphem
TITLE
Polyphem
DIRECTOR
Ilaria Di Carlo
COUNTRY
Germany
YEAR
2026
DURATION
10′
GENRE
Video Art
Polyphem
Polyphem is the second chapter in a series of short landscape films that reinterpret the stages of the journey of Homer's Odyssey and set them in the context of the anthropocene. Loosely inspired by the myth of Polyphemus, the film draws on the symbolism of the red colour of bauxite tailings as a metaphor for the wound and threat caused by human intervention.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Ilaria Di Carlo
Ilaria Di Carlo is an Italian visual artist and filmmaker based in Berlin. She studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London and at the Fine Arts Academy in Rome. She subsequently studied filmmaking at the SAE Institute of Berlin. Her visually driven films explore the role of myth and poetry as a reflection on contemporary life, while focusing on the themes of journey and identity in relation to spaces, landscapes, and architecture. Her films have been screened at numerous international film festivals inclu- ding Torino Film Festival, Festival of New Cinema Montreal, and Cork Film Festival, receiving multiple awards such as Best Short Film at Torino Film Festival and the Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Her work has been presented in various museums, exhibitions and institutions such as National Gallery of Art in Washington, Museum of Con- temporary Arts in Lisbon, Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and Fundacion Proa Buenos Aires among others.
- DirectorIlaria Di Carlo
- ScreenplayIlaria Di Carlo
- CinematographyChristian Wiege
- Cast
- EditingIlaria Di Carlo
- Producer/s Ilaria Di Carlo, Anne Kutzner, Alexander Kleiber
- Production Company
- Distributor/sGargantua Distribution
- Project Title Polyphem
- Project Type Video Art
- Completion Date10 Aug 2026
- Country of originGermany
- Country of filming Germany
- LanguageEnglish
- First-time Filmmaker No
- Student ProjectNo
Ilaria Di Carlo
Ilaria Di Carlo is an Italian visual artist and filmmaker based in Berlin. She studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London and at the Fine Arts Academy in Rome. She subsequently studied filmmaking at the SAE Institute of Berlin. Her visually driven films explore the role of myth and poetry as a reflection on contemporary life, while focusing on the themes of journey and identity in relation to spaces, landscapes, and architecture. Her films have been screened at numerous international film festivals inclu- ding Torino Film Festival, Festival of New Cinema Montreal, and Cork Film Festival, receiving multiple awards such as Best Short Film at Torino Film Festival and the Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award at the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Her work has been presented in various museums, exhibitions and institutions such as National Gallery of Art in Washington, Museum of Con- temporary Arts in Lisbon, Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and Fundacion Proa Buenos Aires among others.
