Familie sein.

What defines a family today? In their film ‘Familie sein.’ (Being family), Theo Thiesmeier and Ernest Thiesmeier – father and son – explore different family structures: blended families, queer families, extended families, single-parent households.

The film navigates the tension between self-description and external attribution. It reveals how roles are defined and identities formulated, and how closeness is formed. At the same time, it opens up a space for projections. Categories emerge in the viewer’s gaze, are examined, shifted and dissolved.

Visually, the footage is arranged as group portraits. In the Living Room, they can be viewed together as a continuous video loop. This creates a polyphonic picture of the contemporary family: open, precise, questioning.

On 1 May, the two directors will bring their own patchwork family to the Humboldt Forum. In a joint discussion, they will explore the ideas that led to the production of this work.