Iliès Terki | Director

ILIÈS TERKI is a filmmaker based in Hamburg. His work blends genres and styles, marked by nuanced storytelling. He explores cultural hybridity and challenges common beliefs about identity. Terki's films focus on universal themes through tantalizing images, subtle performances, and minimal dialogue.Terki grew up in Oran during the 1990s Algerian Civil War. He began in music and advertising before moving to filmmaking. He studied in Madrid and Paris, then spent time in New York before settling in Hamburg.In 2016, he launched Idle Shorts, a collection of 52 films and vignettes. Each represents a week of the year, featuring diverse characters and exploring our connections to each other and the natural world. He also directed acclaimed music videos for Joel Havea and Small Fires.Terki shares his insights at Miami Ad School, leads workshops at EICAR in Paris, and offers an online course on short filmmaking on Domestika. He founded Idle Films, a production house for both long and short fiction and commissioned projects.Through his fictional work, Terki examines what it means to be human in a technology-dominated world. His films, influenced by his multicultural background, capture the subtleties of human interaction with sensitivity and detail.

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About the project

Getting Lost

A couple's search for a lighthouse during a weekend trip strains their relationship to the breaking point. Can they cut through the darkness and find their light again?

Getting Lost is Episode Nº49, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

12 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

About the project

Hitchhiking

This is a short film about Sarah's hitchhiking journey through Provence. Our story explores unpredictability in an age where traveling and meeting strangers is becoming a lost art.

Hitchhiking (Sur le Pouce) is Episode Nº12, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

15 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

About the project

To See a Woman

"To See a Woman" explores themes of wanderlust and the deep human longing for connection and love. The title pays tribute to Schwarzenbach's short novel "Eine Frau zu sehen."

To See a Woman is Episode Nº41, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

12 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

To See a Woman

About the project

All Things Burn

ALL THINGS BURN, uses fire as a metaphor to explore the complexities of human nature and our relationship with nature. It is a moving tale of resilience and hope, inspired by the the devastating 2021 wildfire in the South of France.

Ivan's Gift is Episode Nº06, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

10 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

All Things Burn

About the project

Ivan's Gift

IVAN'S GIFT is an unconventional short thriller that follows the journey of survival of an outlaw through the lens of Autism. An escape from death and an unforeseen encounter becomes a catalyst, opening up a possibility of a different life.

Ivan's Gift is Episode Nº06, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

12 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

About the project

Going Gone

The music video explores the idea of constant movement towards new horizons, inspired by the song's theme of letting go. It challenges the one-take technique with complex shots on a small budget.

3 Mins Music VideoJuly — 2016

About the project

Sunny Side up

This is a short film about love and music. It’s also about gentrification and the challenges associated with precarious living and life as a musician.

Sunny Side Up (Les Oeufs au Plat) is Episode Nº23, part of the Idle Shorts Anthology. Learn more on Idlefilms.tv

10 Mins ShortNovember — 2023

About the project

Backstroke

From sunset to dusk, two young girls and a hazy boy celebrate their youth with a ruthless force and ever-expanding desire for life.

3 Mins Music VideoJuly — 2018

About the project

About the project

En Marge

Wassim Benslimane, the son of Algerian-born parents, overcame a difficult childhood to become an exceptional football freestyler and an inspiration to others.

03:54 Mins Docu-FictionOctober — 2016

About the project

Raw with Love

This film is based on a poem by Charles Bukowski. It explores a visual interpretation inspired by the dark mood infused in the verses of Bukowski's Raw with Love.

03 Mins ExperimentalOctober — 2015