‘The Hidden Dimension’ is a portrait of queer photographer Leo Maki. An intimate journey into the mind of the artist based in Poland. The film explores the creative process behind his work where sexuality, desire, and reality blends into art.
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THE HIDDEN DIMENSION: THE LATEST QUEER SHORT FILM OF CONTAINER LOVE
“Queer people are everywhere and they try to make a difference. But it’s a path full of struggles and a lot of sacrifices”, described the artist in an interview during 2022 with Container Love, the queer platform behind the film. LGBTQIA+ rights still have a long way to go in Poland, still being one out of five countries in the EU that do not even allow same-sex civil unions and that since 2018 had escalated the anti-LGBT hate speech across the country.
Through the story of the photographer and visual artist Leo Maki, The Hidden Dimension captures the mind, the inspiration, the struggles, and the self-created sense of safety of the provocative and captivating artist. Born and raised in Poland, the photographer opens up to share parts of his daily life and personal history and how that translates into his photography style where sex, nudity, and the stereotypical masculinity roles are challenged in front of his lenses. The Hidden Dimension offers a deeper look into the intimacy, beauty, and complexity of queer spaces in adverse contexts. The film visually engages as an invitation to the artist’s mind carrying a message about the journey of self-expression in a mix of vulnerability and empowerment.
The film was co-created under awarded queer platform Container Love between Ben Galster -director, Christian Ruess -executive producer, and a group of acclaimed professionals in the industry that put their skills to service out of sharing a mutual vision and values. Even though when LGBTQIA+ stories have gained representation in recent years -especially in advertising and fictional productions- there is still a huge gap to a global understanding that celebrates diversity as the standard.
The Hidden Dimension is a reminder that queer identities matter, exists, and they must be considered when building up democratic and safe societies for everyone.
Leo Maki is a queer visual artist and photographer with a distinctive and recognisable style that portrait topics such as intimacy, desire, bodies, erotism, physicality, and dreams. Bringing a unique perspective into his images, the work of Leo Maki plays with captivating colours and illumination creating mesmerising moments taken from intimate connections with his motives. Based in Warsaw, Poland, his work has been part of international exhibitions such as Visible Love together with Container Love.
“Polish society is very strict and this got into gay culture too. I feel like in Poland, gay people are so used to exist in the shadows that some of them don’t even want to step out to the light anymore. It’s cool to be on Grindr, it’s cool to have an orgy behind closed doors, but taking naked pictures and having them published is somehow shameful since they’re there for everyone to see.” – Leo Maki
CONVERSATION WITH BEN GALSTER, DIRECTOR OF THE HIDDEN DIMENSION
What would you like to achieve with The Hidden Dimension?
As a director, I try to create discussion and awareness. I’m fascinated by people, their stories and emotions. Ideally, films should make you think about the lives and feelings of others and in the best case, make you learn something new about yourself too. It’s an amazing way to contribute towards a more inclusive society.
Where did the title, The Hidden Dimension come from?
Being visible means stepping into the light. So when we came across Edward T. Hall’s book, The Hidden Dimension, which is about cultural and social cohesion, we knew that we found our title. Because we are still far from being in a great place about inclusion. Don’t be fooled by all the pink- washing going on around us. We need to keep talking about identities and gender and use every opportunity to create awareness and bring these topics into people’s consciousness.
What challenges were you facing while filming The Hidden Dimension?
While shooting a scene at Leo’s, a large anti-Pride demonstration was marching down the street. It was the same day when queer people were shot during the Pride in Oslo. As we were reading the news, we knew exactly why we were working on this film. In many places, queer folks are still barred from living out their lives freely. We tend to forget how lucky we are to be able to live in our own bubbles, mostly unbothered in a world that can be very hostile against queer people.
What techniques did you use to create the unique visual world of the film?
Merging different styles and techniques was key in capturing the dreamy nature of the story we wanted to tell. While we used pre-planned VFX shots, we also turned to AI techniques such as Point Clouds, Manual Distortion, and EbSynth for more abstract elements.
You mostly split your time between London and Berlin. How has the vibrant queer culture of both cities influenced the way you see the world?
I love the energy of both cities and how diverse and inspiring they are. They fuel my creativity and imagination. I remember being a student in London and hanging out in all the famous queer spots, like the Joiners Arms, The George and Dragon and Horse Meat Disco. Even the first editorial that I art directed was for the now-legendary Attitude Magazine. Accepting ourselves regardless of what other people think of us requires a lot of work. Yet sometimes overcoming all these troubles is what gives people the fierce and authentic presence that I love and find inspiring.
“We made this film because we will continue telling stories about queer identities until the world acknowledges us as equals in rights and opportunities. The Hidden Dimension is a real-life story, like yours, mine, or many others happening every day around the world. The difference is that queer identities, still in 2023, are marginalised and even prohibited to exist in freedom, and that is a message we do not want anyone to forget.” – Christian Ruess, Executive Producer of The Hidden Dimension & Founder of Container Love
CONTAINER LOVE IS A GLOBAL AND AWARD-WINNING PLATFORM BASED IN BERLIN, FOCUSING ON PROMOTING IDENTITIES AND QUEER CULTURE THROUGH AN INTERSECTIONAL APPROACH THAT CELEBRATES THE SPECTRUM OF DIVERSITY. >> DISCOVER IT HERE
Starring: Leo Maki @leo_maki / twitter.com/onlyleomaki / onlyfans.com/leo_maki // Production Company. SCR/ Container Love containerlove.art @container.love // Executive Producer: Christian Ruess @studiochristianruess // Director: Ben Galster @bengalster // Cinematography: Bernhard Russow @bernhard_russow
Producer: Julia Groszek Editor: David Fabra @SEC Colorist: Joseph Bicknell @Company3 VFX. Katalyst Berlin Additional VFX. Tobias Lamp & Peter Marsden Data Artist. Harald Schack & Tim Hunkemöller @Grotesk Group Music. Gordian Gleiß @86 Tales Sound Design & Mix. Dennis Beckmann Artwork. Funs Kurstjens & Steffen Leukel @OOOZ Design Club
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