OLAD ADEN
Filmmaker, Photographer & Social Worker based in Berlin.
FILM
THE BE-TROIT EXPERIENCE
Documentary · 2026
A PEACE OF ART
ONLINE RELEASE · OCTOBER 2026
IN DEN STRASSEN VON BERLIN
PROJECTS
EXCHANGE2CHANGE
Concept · Project Lead · Social Work · Film & Photography
Exchange2Change began as a Berlin–London youth exchange and has since grown far beyond its original scope, expanding to different regions across Germany, including Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, and across the UK. I developed the original concept and continue to lead the project from the Berlin side, combining social work with creative direction, filmmaking and photography. This combination of project development, social practice and visual storytelling is central to how I work.
Exchange2Change is one example of a wider body of international youth and cultural exchange projects I have developed and led over the years. My work has connected young people and artists between Berlin and cities including New York, Detroit, Paris, London and Guadeloupe — combining social work, cultural exchange, music, film and photography. Projects such as the BronxBerlinConnection, Peace of Art, BE-TROIT, Translating Hip Hop (HKW) and Guadeloupe2Berlin have resulted in documentaries, music, exhibitions, performances and long-term international partnerships.
PHOTOGRAPHY
About
I’m a Berlin-based social worker, filmmaker and photographer working at the intersection of youth culture, international exchange and visual storytelling.
For more than two decades, I have developed and led arts-based projects connecting young people and artists across cities including Berlin, New York, Detroit, London, Paris and Guadeloupe. Much of this work grows out of street social work and uses music, film, photography and other creative forms as ways to build relationships, create access and tell stories that are often overlooked.
Alongside developing and leading these projects, I document many of them myself — directing, filming, photographing and editing the stories that emerge from the work.
Whether through a documentary, a photograph or an international project, I’m interested in people, cities, culture and the spaces where different worlds meet.
AVAILABLE FOR COMMISSIONS & COLLABORATIONS
I’m available for photography and videography commissions, as well as collaborative projects that combine visual storytelling with conceptual and educational work. I’m particularly interested in roles where these areas overlap — from developing and documenting projects to working directly with participants, accompanying groups and helping shape the process from concept to final story.