ARTISTS' STATEMENT

'Somewhere Else is Here' evolved between December 2008 and April 2009 when two independent artists from Austria (Jasmina Hirschl and Marina Leblhuber) met with people living and working in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The project started with inviting interested persons to contribute to the film by sharing what is important to them and what they wanted to be communicated in public. Contents and technical realization developed in collaborative work.

It became a collage, that deals with realities of residents of the Downtown Eastside and otherwise involved persons in the neighbourhood.

Glimpses of people's individual stories, their artistic, cultural and political activities give a multipersepective insight into the community.

The film‘s attempt is to provoke a differentiated look at the neighbourhood's complexity as opposed to existing stereotype and prejudices.

Different qualities of footage, filmed by various persons with the equipment available at the time (from simple digital photo camera to high definition video camera), correspond to the patchwork-character of the filmproject, to the fragmentary insights and information.

Super 8 footage appears multiple times and halts the flow of the film with silent pictures, inviting to be with these moments.

The presence of the person behind the mostly hand-held camera refuses to perceive the visualmaterial as an objective document.

It’s a low-budget filmproject. Most work is done by volunteers.

Further background information:
Jasmina helped starting the filmproject in December 2008 before she went back to Austria in January 2009. Marina continued filming and made a first cut in April 2009 before she left Vancouver (called „Flying High“; edited by Quin Martins). For a new cut Jasmina and Marina continued working together in Austria and the film "Somewhere Else is Here" evolved. In February 2010 a preview was shown in the Downtown Eastside and discussed with the people involved. The film had its premier on the 29th of October  at the Heart oft he City Festival 2011(Vancouver, Kanada).