MA Tutor Maja Classen brings A BODY LIKE MINE to BFI Flare

In Maja Classen’s documentary short, A Body Like Mine, the protagonist, Puck, defines the phrase as ‘a body in this middle ground; not always acknowledged, but that still has relatability’.

The short follows Puck, an artist and activist who also stars in Maja’s feature in the making, Truth or Dare, and had its’ International Premiere at BFI Flare on March 14th.

Ahead of the film’s second Flare screening, we spoke to MA Documentary & Factual tutor – and A Body Like Mine Director Maja Classen about the making of the short, the art of documentary, and tutoring at MetFilm School Berlin…

This documentary short focuses on Puck, one of the protagonists of your other documentary, Truth or Dare. What made you want to continue their story?

I started researching Truth or Dare three years ago, and we’re now in post production. The short A Body Like Mine feels a bit like the little sister of Truth or Dare, since I met Puck during one of the research shoots for it.

We started shooting much later, but its coming out first! Both films are produced by Saralisa Volm and her company, POISON BERLIN. We love working together, and already have new films planning.

After meeting Puck, I found them to be a really interesting person. They were mysterious, somehow very sweet and soft and innocent, but then also very wise, tough, and just very complex.

When I learnt that they were only 23 years old, I thought of a German TV show I’d seen – From 18! – which airs auteur portraits of 18-28 year olds.

I’d worked with the commissioners before, so I knew it would be a good experience in terms of encouraging artistry and freedom. From there, I suggested Puck’s story!

And is this typically how your projects come about?

It’s usually a mix of searching for ideas, and also finding them right in front of me. I usually start with a loose interest, and then start researching from that.

For example, I’ve always been interested in documenting the Berlin club culture – my first feature documentary was about the club scene.

Then, it all closed down during the lockdown, and it left this heavy feeling, that there was no public space to meet anymore. That’s when the idea for Truth or Dare really started, and so I went looking for my protagonists from there.

Puck co-wrote A Body Like Mine with you. What was this collaboration process like?

For Puck, it felt important to have some control over their narration – and I’ve also always been interested in challenging power dynamics between protagonists and filmmakers.

This co-authorship also means the protagonist feels safer in sharing their vulnerabilities, which was definitely the right way to make this film.

I directed the film, and then edited the rough edit with Maya Steinberg (Editor). Then, there were many different versions in the fine edit with Thomas Krause (Editor) – and from that point, Puck would review every edit. That way, we’d be sure they felt safe and good about it.

Your presence as a filmmaker is made known in your films. How do you approach inserting your viewpoint in documentary?

I definitely identify with the ‘Cinéma Verité’ approach to documentary – meaning you don’t try and pretend that you’re ‘invisible’.

To me, as soon as you pick up a camera, you have a subjective view on the story: one second, your protagonist might forget the camera’s there, the next they might remember – and sometimes, they directly respond to it, so there may be a level of performance involved.

I like to make this performance visible, to bring into the discussion this ‘consciousness’ at something being created. I feel that that’s the most truthful form.

On the education side, what made you decide to tutor alongside working in the industry?

I’ve been at MetFilm School since 2018 – but I started teaching long before that!

I really enjoy the process of teaching: handing on my knowledge, and starting a dialogue with the next generation, who have such a different take on it all.

What I love about MetFilm School in particular is that it’s such an international cohort. You have the whole world in one classroom, with often very different cultural and political backgrounds, meaning everyone has something to say or questions to ask. This makes teaching very exciting, and a learning experience for me as well.

And what do you think is the most important aspect of your role as a documentary tutor?

It’s to help the students find their own artistic voice. To open the spectrum and show them everything I know – or as much as is possible in just one year!

Documentary is a form of art – it can be artistic, experimental, hybrid… that’s what I want to show my students, that they can bring in performance and aesthetics, not just interviews with subjects.

In the film, Puck describes ‘a body like mine’. What about this phrase stuck with you?

They had said it several times – the first time, it was when we shot the interview inspired by Puck’s own artwork.

Puck makes these collages, breaking apart old Dutch paintings by white men in patriarchal societies – worlds that bodies like theirs weren’t a part of. It’s a form of protest, to put themselves back into the world, and we really wanted to bring that metaphor to life in this film.

The phrase just kept coming back in our conversations, and really, it summarises the whole topic very precisely.

And finally, the film is screening at BFI Flare! What are you most excited about for the festival?

I’m super excited about it all – I actually haven’t been to London in 20 years or so, and I’ll be sticking around for two days to make sure I can watch some other films.

BFI Flare is the International Premiere of A Body Like Mine, and it’s really beginning a new journey for the film. We’ve been invited to some other amazing festivals since – but that’s all I can say for now…!

• You can watch A Body Like Mine as part of the 2024 BFI Flare strand, ‘Methods for Facing a Hostile World’. Find out more here.
• Maja Classen teaches MA Documentary & Factual at our Berlin campus. This course is also launching in Leeds from September 2023.