Big City Midsummer Dream
Short FilmWritten, styled, directed, and produced by Katya Quel
Big City Midsummer Dream is a poetic short film that blends fashion, fantasy, and urban melancholy into a moving exploration of softness, alienation, and fleeting connection. Conceived and directed by Katya Quel, the film takes place across Amsterdam during Pride weekend and follows two strangers—outsiders drawn together by their distinct visual identities—through a surreal journey that unfolds between reality and reverie.
The story begins in the solitude of two private dressing rituals, where the protagonists—Katya and Virgile—prepare for the day by adorning themselves in expressive, hand-constructed garments. In the anonymity of the metro, they recognize something kindred in each other’s appearance. Their silent exchange becomes the catalyst for a shared hallucination: the city is no longer just concrete and crowds, but a portal into a collective dream.
Masks appear, as do miniature castles cradled in their arms. Joined by other masked beings, the pair wanders through Amsterdam in an unspoken procession, transforming the urban landscape into a stage for enchantment and community. The film’s tone shifts as they arrive in a quiet meadow where rituals of tenderness unfold—glitter-dusted fruit, whispered exchanges, castles arranged like offerings. They dance in a circle, pass objects between them, and dissolve into a group embrace beneath a tree, overcome by sleep.
Throughout the film, voiceovers from both characters reveal inner monologues marked by emotional fatigue and longing for softness in a hard world. Their meeting—silent, ephemeral—becomes a symbol of queer connection, resistance through imagination, and the dream of being truly seen.
When the train jolts them back into reality, the masks and castles are gone, but something remains. A glance. A flicker. The lingering feeling that the dream might have been real, if only for a moment.
Big City Midsummer Dream is a tribute to queer visibility, collective fantasy, and the subtle power of aesthetic transformation. Drawing on traditions of magical realism, performance art, and DIY fashion, it invites viewers to consider how imagination can re-enchant public space—and how moments of beauty, though fleeting, might offer respite from the dryness of daily life.
The story begins in the solitude of two private dressing rituals, where the protagonists—Katya and Virgile—prepare for the day by adorning themselves in expressive, hand-constructed garments. In the anonymity of the metro, they recognize something kindred in each other’s appearance. Their silent exchange becomes the catalyst for a shared hallucination: the city is no longer just concrete and crowds, but a portal into a collective dream.
Masks appear, as do miniature castles cradled in their arms. Joined by other masked beings, the pair wanders through Amsterdam in an unspoken procession, transforming the urban landscape into a stage for enchantment and community. The film’s tone shifts as they arrive in a quiet meadow where rituals of tenderness unfold—glitter-dusted fruit, whispered exchanges, castles arranged like offerings. They dance in a circle, pass objects between them, and dissolve into a group embrace beneath a tree, overcome by sleep.
Throughout the film, voiceovers from both characters reveal inner monologues marked by emotional fatigue and longing for softness in a hard world. Their meeting—silent, ephemeral—becomes a symbol of queer connection, resistance through imagination, and the dream of being truly seen.
When the train jolts them back into reality, the masks and castles are gone, but something remains. A glance. A flicker. The lingering feeling that the dream might have been real, if only for a moment.
Big City Midsummer Dream is a tribute to queer visibility, collective fantasy, and the subtle power of aesthetic transformation. Drawing on traditions of magical realism, performance art, and DIY fashion, it invites viewers to consider how imagination can re-enchant public space—and how moments of beauty, though fleeting, might offer respite from the dryness of daily life.
Preparation
Process
Result
Main characters:
Katya Quel (Quelish), Virgile Bettan
Camera:
Charlie McKee
Music:
Doctor Organ – L’amour Toujours
Extras:
Anya, Mar, Gaja, Nadia, DY, EcoDNA, <3 and others
Nail Design:
Nails and Tea Amsterdam
Styling and artworks:
by Quelish
Funding:
Travel was partly funded by Culture Moves Europe Programme of the European Union