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The face-blind portrait artist

Carlotta has a severe form of prosopagnosia, a condition that means she can’t recognise faces, not even her own. But she found a creative way of painting self-portraits.

German artist Carlotta has a severe form of prosopagnosia, or face blindness, a brain disorder that means she can’t recognise faces, not even her own. Her condition went undiagnosed for years, and as a result Carlotta tried to avoid other people as much as she could. But she had always loved painting, and she came up with a creative way of creating self-portraits. It was through Carlotta’s art that neuroscientist and filmmaker Valentin Riedl came to meet her. After all these years seeking solitude, Carlotta agreed to work with Valentin and together they made a documentary called Lost in Face.

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Ugandan-born Samson Kule used to be a struggling hawker with a passion for American country music. One day, a friend heard him singing and suggested he should give music a go. Samson started performing his own country music in the streets of Nairobi - and it was a success. He tells Michael Kaloki about it.

Picture: Carlotta.
Credit: Corso Film.

Available now

41 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 22 Apr 202011:06GMT
  • Wed 22 Apr 202017:06GMT
  • Thu 23 Apr 202003:06GMT

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