The face-blind portrait artist

Available for over a year

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. Hanne Strager is a biologist and Göran Ehlmé is a photographer and together they have changed the way killer whales are seen in Norway. 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.