The latest movie directed by German filmmaker Monika Treut - Ghosted (premiering at the 2009 Berlinale) was shown at the 24 Torino GLBT Film Festival where the director was awarded with a Special Award.

After many years focused on documentary, Treut is back to fiction with a movie dealing with a double plot: one of the main theme in German romantic literature - the double - is combined to the vision of Chinese spiritism. The idea was born when Treut met Taiwanese writer Li Ang who had previously collaborated on her documentary Tigerwomen Grow Wings in 2005 (a portrait of three generations of Taiwanese women living in Hamburg). Playing the role of Ai-Ling's uncle (the leading character of the movie) is Taiwanese movie star Jack Kao (who collaborated also with director Hou Hsiao-Hsien). This film is the first Germany-Taiwan co-production and was developed with some problems, because homosexuality is still taboo in that country.

Since her first movies, the eye of Monika Treut looked at what media considered "deviant" sexual behaviors, which were, of course, condamned. Monika Treut focuses her work on this world and shows unknown or ignored reality of the lesbian society. The movies were made in collaboration with Elfi Mikesch, talented camera woman, with whom  Treut founded in 1984 her production company "Hyäna I/II", based in Berlin. With the skills mastered in directory and theatrical assistance (also with Werner Schroeter) in Germany and New York (as a teacher in several north American colleges), she creates Hyena Films in Hamburg in 1992. Monika Treut has also published many articles and essays in several papers and magazines in Germany, Austria, US and UK.

Among her most important features: Verführung: Die grausame Frau (The Cruel Woman, 1985) her debut in collaboration with Mikesch, taken from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's novel Die Jungfrauenmaschine (The Virgin Machine, 1988) about the erotic adventure of a journalist is San Francisco (the film won best film and best actress at the 1989 Torino Giovani Film Festival); My Father is Coming (best film at the Torino Film Festival in 1991); Gendernauts (special award at Teddys at Berlinale 1999).

The Torino GLBT Film Festival runs until April 30th; more info at www.tglff.com