In Block E, No. 5, Çağla Gillis traces a family’s search for belonging across dislocated spaces—from a cold dormitory in Austria to an unfinished home in Istanbul. Through intimate calls, performative gestures, and layered sound, the film meditates on community, memory, and the emotional toll of waiting, revealing how the longing for ‘home’ binds bodies across distance and time.
Çağla Gillis is a PhD candidate in Artistic Research at the University of Arts Linz, Austria. Her work explores the more-than-human world through experimental ethnography, challenging anthropocentric approaches to documenting history and trauma. As a filmmaker, Çağla’s work investigates women’s experiences, everyday life, and imaginary topographies. She actively engages in work aimed at exploring the links between her personal life experiences and the broader historical and contemporary movements. Her films, blending experimental and documentary forms, have been screened at various film festivals and galleries internationally.
