Based in Berlin, Gerrets also works as a script advisor, film editor and university film mentor. Born into a Bulgarian-German family in Amsterdam, he grew up in the Netherlands, Spain, Sierra Leone and Germany. Gerrets’ films are close-ups of local environments, which he describes as ‘biotopic explorations’. He explores the gap between the factual event and its fictional and poetic meaning. He sees the camera as a tool that creates a social dynamic between the filmmaker and the protagonists.

The editing process is for Gerrets a way of stripping down and reconfiguring what has been garnered in reality into a phenomenological space that speaks about the human condition.

His role as filmmaker and the process of filmmaking are always at issue – either implicitly or explicitly. This is particularly evident in People I Could Have Been and Maybe Am (2010), which was shot on a mobile phone. A winner of many prizes, the film caught the attention of critics, festival juries and audience alike, creating a lasting imprint in documentary filmmaking for his unique approach.

His most recent film Shado’man (2014) delves into the inner world of each character to reveal the dignity of humans surviving under inhumane conditions. It received critical praise for its arresting cinematography and was awarded the 2014 AVANCA Television Prize.

Just message borisgerrets@gmail.com in case you would like to contact him.