“Heidi’s House” is a poetic story of Heidi Kramer’s emigration, as seen through the eyes of her granddaughter. In it, Johanna Sofia Heusser traces the life of her grandmother, who moved to the small Cycladic island of Tinos in the 1980s to pursue a career in architecture as a self-taught artist. Over the past 40 years, Heidi has built numerous houses that continue to draw Johanna back to the island. Inspired by her grandmother’s extraordinary life, Johanna finds her own path. The film not only depicts the intimate relationship between the two women, but also Heidi’s deep connection to her island, reflected in her distinctive architecture and building style. The former emigrant has created her own spaces — buildings and rooms that inspire dreams and contemplation. The focus is always on the human being. It is also on the question of how a place invites us to be ourselves.

Director: Johanna Sofia Heusser

Johanna completed her studies in Contemporary and Urban Dance at the HF in Zurich in 2016, earning a Master’s degree in Expanded Theatre from the HKB in Bern in 2022, as well as a Diploma in Arts and International Cooperation from the ZHdK in Zurich. Since 2016, she has developed and presented her own work at festivals and theatres across Switzerland, Europe, India, Greece, Turkey and Uganda, including the Zürcher Theaterspektakel, the FIT Festival Lugano, the Dschungel Wien, the Kampala National Theatre and the Istanbul Fringe Festival. She has received several awards, including the Atelier Mondial award (2018) and Double Tanz by Migros Kulturprozent (2020). She was also a finalist in the PREMIO Switzerland competition in 2021 and participated in the ATLAS programme at ImpulsTanz Vienna in 2022. She has also worked as a choreographer with the Schauspielhaus Vienna and the Münchner Volkstheater. She was nominated for Theater Heute’s Emerging Artist Award in 2022 and the Stella Award in 2023, and currently holds multi-year funding for her company until 2029. “Heidi’s House” is her first film.