An Octopus Destroyed The Moon

The title of Heidrun Holzfeind's film, An Octopus Destroyed the Moon, comes up in a conversation between two girls who express their disgust at the maggots they find while harvesting nuts. These girls are participants in an integrative course of study on agricultural industry at the August Sander School in Berlin: Back in 2004, Holzfeind already produced a photo series there. This current work continues her thematic exploration of profession, integration and educational institutions as it observes a diverse group of students over the course of one full year at the vocational school. The director captures the students' strengths, impairments, wishes, and insecurities in clear, calm images, especially focusing in on their interaction with one another and their teachers.