Once an Alien

Inventor and “time traveler” Mirza fled his native Yugoslavia as a child during the Second World War. Stateless periods in various countries ended in the Netherlands, where he had children who put down roots. They were raised with a lot of creativity; filmmaker Semâ Bekirović remembers a flying carpet and a robot made from a hairdryer and a garbage can. But her father has hardly ever spoken about his past. Until now.

In Once an Alien, father and daughter tour the land of his birth together in a motor home. Mirza writes in his diary, meditates and walks around in a mirrored suit, like an alien science fiction hero, through the countryside and past buildings that reveal a complex history.

Along the way, they talk to locals about time travel and nostalgia. Meanwhile, Bekirović asks her father questions about his history, in which trauma, creativity and the perception of time play a role. What does it mean to think in different languages? What childhood memories does he have and to which time would he like to travel? In tentative, sometimes complicated conversations, they take loving steps towards spiritual recovery.