Wide Awake

Alan Berliner is a very creative and hard-working man, especially after nightfall. In his work he focuses on the topics of family and human identity. The film Wide Awake was made when his first son was born and Berliner decided to fight the biggest handicap of his life – insomnia. He has visited various doctors and specialists, tried countless different methods and counted thousands of sheep. He constantly feels tired but cannot sleep for long periods of time. The documentary shows his hereditary insomnia, childhood trauma and habits, as well as his search for the cause of the illness and his efforts to solve the problem, all while coping with the daily life of a film-maker. Conversations with doctors and family members are combined with the stream of his thoughts and dream records. Berliner has created an enormous audio-visual collection of data artefacts. These include family videos, found photographs, rolls of film and hundreds of photo albums. This unique collection is part of his artistic work. For Berliner, film-making means cutting and putting together the pieces he has found to create an audio-visual mosaic which resembles the hyperactive mind to which sleep may be forbidden forever. (Academia Film Olomouc)