30. Okt. – 2. Nov. 2025
BEYOND Festival

Isolated in her recording studio, the young artist DaiSy strives for perfection—perfection in her passion for music, in her performance, and in her being as a person.
To achieve this, she scrutinizes video recordings of her rehearsals and discovers that she can communicate with her alter ego trapped on the screen. A sinister power dynamic develops between the two. Driven by a desire for self-improvement, she becomes her own harshest coach. Ruthlessly intolerant of mistakes, DaiSy forces her reflection to improve and push beyond its limits. Sing higher, lower, dance faster, more! Her passion becomes obsession and she loses control. The recording studio goes up in flames. Once destroyed, the alter ego re-emerges amidst the remains and takes on a life of its own.

Director Biography - Knut Kuhles

Knut Kuhles is 26 years old, born and raised in Berlin and has been making short films and music videos since he was 7 years old.
He graduated from high school in 2018 and was then able to gain his first experience behind the camera during a directing internship at “TAF-Production” and an internship in film music at the company “Becktone”. Since then, he has worked freelance in the field of video and film, creating commissioned film projects and his own short films.
He also worked as a video operator, 2nd camera assistant, 1st assistant director, and set manager for various film and television productions.
Since October 2021 he has been studying Media Art Film at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design.
His short films: “Before a mirror”, “Aberration” and “Comfort” have already been shown at several short film festivals. His last short film “Aquarium” was also nominated for the Baden-Württemberg Short film award in the category “Best Short Film” in 2022

Director Statement

In CAPTURED, we explored the psychological impact of losing oneself in the pursuit of a perfected identity. Our protagonist creates a digital version of herself, gradually optimizing and controlling it until she erases her own identity in the process.

We were interested in what happens when your own image becomes a projection of your deepest desires and insecurities. The story takes place entirely within a music studio, which becomes a metaphorical stage for inner conflict. The monitor becomes a digital mirror, a portal through which self-perception unravels.

It’s a reflection of the world we live in, where curated identities, filtered visuals, and self-optimization have become the norm. CAPTURED is a musical and visual metaphor for this process: The desire to become a “better me” turns into self-destruction.

Rather than offering a clear answer or moral judgment, we aimed to create an emotional experience. One that questions: What remains of us when we lose touch with authenticity and become our own product?