Between 1883 and 1903, the Swiss scientists Paul and Fritz Sarasin traveled across the British and Dutch colonies of Asia, studying indigenous cultures in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. They were cousins, best friends and possibly also lovers. Not only did the two ship the first elephant to the fledgling Basel Zoological Garden, they also brought back countless artifacts, photographs and human remains from their research trips, including skulls of the Adivasi, an indigenous group living in Sri Lanka. To do their research and build up their collection, they did not shy away from enlisting the help of the British and Dutch colonial armies and employing violence.

In 2019, Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Wedaarachchige visited the Natural History Museum in Basel where many of the items of the Sarasin collections are stored. Holding one of the Adivasi skulls in her hands had a profound impact on her and her work. After returning to Sri Lanka, Deneth retraced the research trips of Paul and Fritz Sarasin step by step and managed to locate direct descendants of the Adivasi group explored by the Swiss researchers.

Ever since Deneth Piumakshi Wedaarachchige has been trying to work with various cultural institutions in Basel and members of the Adivasi community to bring back the skulls and artifacts from the Sarasin collections to Sri Lanka and face up to their dark colonial past. But often she is faced with closed doors or unanswered e-mails. «Becoming vulnerable» explores Basel's involvement in colonialism and questions of restitution. The film researches the past and the present from multiple perspectives.

Production: soap factory GmbH, Basel
Writers: Gregor Brändli and Deneth Piumakshi Wedaarachchige
Director: Gregor Brändli

There is a store in Palermo unlike any other – a place of love defying any convention. The owners of the small leather goods boutique are Massimo and Gino. Massimo is 65, and Gino is 73. They have been a couple for 42 years, maybe the longest-lasting gay couple in Italy. 42 years of love and political struggle – in Palermo, in Sicily, a stronghold of patriarchal culture.

Today, their store is an important meeting place for the LGBTQI+ community, where people chat about their love stories, seek advice or celebrate their friendship. For example Ernesto, a famous queer performer, who put his career on hold to care for his elderly mother. Or Vivian, a young woman who tries to recalibrate her life after her transition from male to female. And Charlie, 87 and ex-gigolo, who once worked in Hollywood and is still hungry for love.

As a memorial to two young men who were murdered in Sicily just because they loved each other, Massimo and Gino are planning their wedding. They were married once before when homosexual marriages were still not legally recognised. This time they can officially say yes to each other in town hall. But even though things have changed in Italy, the situation of queer people is still precarious.

Production: soap factory GmbH, Basel
Writer, director: Nicola Bellucci