“GIRL’S BEDROOM CULTURE” refers to a girl’s space built on intimacy, privacy, and the freedom to be separated from social norms. It is not a single physical room but rather a sphere that encourages free self-expression and can extend into digital spaces like social media. The idea originated from the thought: “I’m tired of constantly seeing how hard it is to be a woman in theater.” Yes, it is well known that the female experience is not the easiest, but that does not eliminate the need for alternative perspectives.
While we are generally used to hearing stories that contrast genders, the goal of this residency is to explore the topic from within—woman to woman (femininity not as a fixed gender identity but as a social construct). Thus, the closed bedroom offers a space to act, speak, and think without restrictions (—assuming no one forcibly intrudes!). This is not an attempt to downplay other experiences but rather to highlight the relationships between women and how they shape the process of becoming a woman.
Emel-Elizabeth Tuulik (1999) is an Estonian-Kurdish individual who occasionally writes and creates. She has no permanent residence nor a stable job, and no one quite understands how she earns her living. In any case she can’t remain still in one country for more than two weeks. Alongside everything else, she has been selected to participate in the following initiatives: 27 Times Cinema (Venice Film Festival, Giornate degli Autori), Baltic Women in Film and Television (Baltic film festivals), European Workshop of Film Criticism (Leuven Short Film Festival and Vilnius Short Film Festival), the Media Inclusion Initiative Program (Toronto International Film Festival), and GoCritic! (Cineuropa). Although she doesn’t live in Estonia, she mainly writes cultural criticism and prose in Estonian. Emel is a pisces.
Ilo Tuule Rajand (1999) has a background in semiotics, with her work spanning dance, theater, music, and film, which is why she dislikes defining herself by just one field. Her experience includes journalism, cultural management, and creative activities, such as film criticism workshops and interdisciplinary projects. Additionally, she is a member of the band We Bring the Birds together with Emel and has studied semiotics and theater studies at the University of Tartu. Above all, she hopes that her younger self would be proud of her. Ilo Tuule is a pisces.
Emel and Ilo are, above all, best friends.
