Director Biography - Dominik Hill
Dominik Hill - born 1990 in Suhl (Germany) is a German director and cinematographer for fashion films. He studied Screen Based Media in Berlin and combined his great passions for film, storytelling and fashion. His fashion films shows fashion with the help of stories about people, their developments, feelings and thoughts. In doing so, he is not afraid to combine fashion with underrated themes such as death, unrequited love and self-destruction. He uses editing techniques of the Soviet Avartegarde directors to give his films a deeper level of meaning.
He has since made films for a wide range of designers and his films have been published in magazines such as Vogue and L'officiel.
Dominik Hill works and lives currently in Berlin.
By Donia Mirkatuli
The title of the short film evokes the book "Dancing Bears" by Witold Szabłowski, a Polish journalist and writer. The inspiration for the book had come from a true story about Bulgarian gypsies training bears to dance and perform tricks. This brutal and inhumane treatment of the bears included whipping, extracting their teeth, and getting the bears drunk on alcohol. After Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, keeping bears in captivity became illegal, and "Four Paws," an Austrian organization based in Vienna, rescued the bears from captivity and transferred them to a large, specialized park near Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. From then on, these poor animals could begin a new life. In its initial efforts, "Four Paws" taught the bears about freedom—albeit gradually and cautiously—because freedom felt very foreign to these creatures that had been in captivity for years. Occasionally, the newly freed bears displayed unusual behaviors, indicating that they still did not believe in their freedom.
Bears, experiencing true freedom for the first time, were unable to exhibit normal bear behaviors; it seemed as if they wished their trainer would return to take responsibility for them once again. A Bulgarian journalist recounted the story of these bears to Witold Szabłowski, who noted that their experiences bore striking similarities to those of people who, after decades of living under a totalitarian regime, finally achieved democracy. Just like the bears, human reactions were sometimes accompanied by pleasure and satisfaction, while at other times they manifested a desire to express violence. Chapter six of "Dancing Bears," titled "Winter Sleep," makes a direct reference to bears that are expected to adapt to a natural cycle of life with which they have been unfamiliar for years.
Another significant activity in support of bear rights took place just a year after this story. In 2008, an animal rights organization, with the help of the UK Ministry of Defence, sought a solution so that the guards at Buckingham Palace in London would use a suitable alternative instead of bear skin hats. Members of the animal rights group "Peta" were determined and enlisted the help of prominent European designers to create these hats, which had great appeal for tourists in London. This initiative was one of the first steps toward supporting bear rights, as each hat required the sacrifice of a bear. Not only is the use of natural fur considered inappropriate and unjustifiable in the twenty-first century, but any form of animal exploitation and improper care conditions are also viewed unfavorably. The issue of keeping wild animals in homes has become one of the main concerns in recent years.
The short film Dancing Bears is based on a statement displayed at the end of the film: "Even today in Europe, there are bears that are mistreated as dancing bears or restaurant bears. 'Four Paws,' the name of a global animal protection organization, frees these bears and provides them with a new home in the forest."
The mission of "Four Paws" is to gradually improve the living conditions of animals, which are directly influenced by human presence. The organization's initial focus is on stray dogs and cats, followed by an examination of the living conditions of farm and domestic animals, as well as wild animals. Animal rights are part of the broader subject of rights, which addresses not only the rights of domesticated animals but also those of wild animals, viewing the infliction of pain, suffering, and captivity on animals—whether in homes, circuses, or zoos—as a violation of their natural rights. In developed countries, despite significant time, investment, and energy being devoted to animal rights advocacy, signs of abuse and disrespect towards animals still persist. The four-minute short film "Dancing Bears" serves as evidence of this reality.
Dominik Hill, a thirty-four-year-old German director, explores the mistreatment of bears in a simple and clear manner in this film. As we know, short films have specific limitations, and filmmakers must be adept at conveying their intended ideas and themes in a brief time frame. The film emphasizes animal welfare and respect for their right to comfort through vivid symbols and close-ups of the faces of three human characters; for example, the nose ring symbolizing the captivity of bears appears on each character's face, or the bear costume worn by a human and the bear-skin boot. Additionally, images of bears behind wooden bars and metal fences, as well as visuals of chains and the extraction of bears' teeth and claws, along with blood spilled on the ground, serve as indicators of animal abuse—even if these animals are kept in a cage referred to as home.
The scenes of bears playing in the river and wrestling, mixed with images of their captivity, reflect the instinctual reactions of animals when they are free in nature. By alternating between images of humans and bears, the filmmaker seems to aim to highlight the connection between cruelty to animals and human violence, reminding us of the thought-provoking relationship between animal abuse and crime. The silent suffering of the film's characters transforms it into a dialogue-free presentation that underscores the necessity for humans to respect the lives of other beings. The meticulous makeup of the characters' faces, along with the poignant music featuring female vocals, also effectively conveys the film's message. Since Dominik Hill is also the cinematographer, he is familiar with framing principles and has been able to create an engaging and impactful work directly and without intermediaries. In less than four minutes, he conveys profound concepts typical of a longer documentary film.
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