The _____ Between Us
Short Film, 9′30″ (2025)
Teaser
Selections, Screenings & Recognitions
Moovy Dance Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection
4-18 October 2026 | Cologne, Germany
INTERFACCIA DIGITALE 2026 – Semi-Finalist
18 June 2026 | Pesaro, Italy
Here&Now Dance Festival 2026 – Official Selection
5-7 June 2026 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Experimental Brasil 2026 – Semi-Finalist
1 May 2026 | Campos Dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
LIMINAL Dance Film Festival – Official Selection
24–26 April 2026 | Washington, DC, USA
Dallas Dance Film Festival (DDFF) 2026 – Official Selection
31 January 2026 | Dallas, USA
AltFF Alternative Film Festival – Winter Edition 2025 – Winner, Best Dance Film
30 December 2025 | Toronto, Canada
Short Stop International Film Festival 21st Edition 2025 – Nominee
9 December 2025 | Iași, Romania
Cologne Design Prize 2025 – Nominee; exhibition at MAKK Museum of Applied Arts
27 November – 7 December 2025 | Cologne, Germany
TRANSFORM25 KINDLAB 2025 – Conference Screening & Presentation
25 September 2025 | Trier, Germany
“Parcours” showcase 2025 – Köln International School of Design
17-20 July 2025 | Cologne, Germany
Logline
Set beneath an open sky, a story exploring themes of human connection unfolds through dance, dialogue, and AI-generated imagery.
Synopsis
Credits
Concept & Direction
Maayan Reiter
Camera
Jens Pussel
Actors
Jacqueline Krell
Maayan Reiter
Dancers
Hojoon Moon
Maayan Reiter
Video Editing, Motion Design, Visual Effects
Maayan Reiter
AI Visuals & Image Generation
Created using ComfyUI (Stable Diffusion)
(AI-assisted visual creation)
Music
Kevin MacLeod
Sound Editing & Music Remastering
Adaam James Levin-Areddy
Created as part of the Bachelor Thesis Integrated Design (BA), KISD – Köln International School of Design, TH Köln (July 2025)
Trailer 2′
Director Statement
When we come into contact with others, from what state are we interacting? How can we perceive beyond our assumptions? Can we choose to relate from curiosity rather than suspicion and fear?
In The _____ Between Us, I was drawn to the gap between what is said and what is heard, and how quickly we project our inner world onto another person. Words are everywhere, yet we often respond to what we imagine rather than what is meant. Meaning shifts through the listener’s inner state, whether it is fear and resistance, or curiosity and openness.
Working across dance, film, and motion design, I use contact improvisation as a grounded practice of listening through touch, weight-sharing, and responsiveness. I used dialogue as an entry point, then let the duets shift the meaning of the words through the body. Compositing and AI-generated imagery extend the movement into elemental textures, amplifying emotion as a natural force and deepening attention to the physicality of contact improvisation.
Behind the Process
