BERLIN, GERMANY — According to estimates by dgti, around half a million people in Germany do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Many report not wanting to look at or share their childhood photos after a successful transition. This may be because these photos strongly contradict their gender identity and may remind them of the challenges of life pre-transition. Thus, the Project “Saved Memories” by Serviceplan Berlin, in cooperation with the German NGOs Transklar e.V., Trans-Ident e.V. and Rosa Strippe e.V., was launched to help trans people be more comfortable with their childhood pictures.
The short film about the project tells the story of the first participants: social media influencer Duke Duong, cabaret artist Alice Dee, and model and TV personality Lucy Hellenbrecht. In the film, we hear their personal insights about growing up as a trans person and for the first time sharing their childhood photos with the world, to be transformed by AI.
The film premiered on May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination, and Transphobia, on YouTube and on the project website. The website also features online tutorials and links to tools that trans people can use to transform their own images using AI.
In total, the film and project have reached around 165 million contacts so far. Important German media outlets such as Stern, Gala, Focus, and RTL News, as well as LGBTQIA+ titles such as Schwulissimo and queer.de picked up the story, bringing public attention to the message that everyone has the right to be seen as who they truly are.
Myles Lord, Creative Managing Partner of Serviceplan Berlin, explained, “You do not often get to work on a project that is so technical but has such an emotional impact. In the end, we discovered that many trans people could really benefit from this idea by giving back a part of their lives that was always missing. Working with Lucy, Duke, and Alice was truly inspiring. Their intimate and personal testimonies give us essential insights into what it means to grow up trans and how society can be more understanding and supportive of the trans community.”
“The goal is not to change the past or correct mistakes,” added Patricia Schüttler of Trans-Ident e.V. “Rather, the goal is to align these images with the person’s true identity so that the outside reflects what is felt inside.”
Marlon Stiller of Transklar e.V. expanded, “Not everyone has the opportunity to express their own identity as a child. By bringing gender characteristics closer to the felt reality, viewers can block out painful details and focus on the beautiful memories they had almost forgotten.”
“We support this project because, for a part of the trans community, it makes an important chapter of identity easier,” confirmed Andrea Westhoff from Rosa Strippe e.V.
The transformation of the photos was made possible by the latest generation of AI image processing led by AI engineer Jaques Alomo. Each original photo was scanned and used as a master. The AI was then trained with current images of the person.
Using the AI program STABLE DIFFUSION, the childhood photos were edited to align with the person’s true gender identity. Each moment was carefully recreated to preserve the details that make each memory special.
CREDITS:
Agency: Serviceplan Berlin
Campaign Title: Saved Memories
Client: Transklar e.V., Trans-Ident e.V. Rosa Strippe e.V.
Serviceplan Berlin:
Managing Director: Myles Lord
Executive Creative Director Art: Jan Lucas
Creative Director Copy: Frauke Ehlers
Senior Art Direction: Katrin Burkhardt
Art Direction: Elisabeth (Lana) Kari
Art Director: Alexandre Levesque
Account Manager Client Services: Anne Bub
Global Chief Creative Officer, Serviceplan Group: Alex Schill
German Chief Creative Officer, Serviceplan Group: Till Diestel
Head of Creative Operations: Sabine Gwinner
IT Technology: creamlabs AI
AI Consultant: Jacques Alomo
Film Production: Serviceplan MAKE
Producer: Josephine Rügge
Director: Sarah Fürstenberg, Fürstenberg Films
Editing: Moritz Scharl, Phillip Grösser
Recording Studio: Not a Machine GmbH
Post-Production/ Grading: Replayboys UG
Sound design/ Music company: Not a Machine GmbH
Serviceplan PR & Content:
General Manager: Eva Sophie Vogelsang
Senior PR & Content Consultant: Sarah Fabry-Zappe
Head of Corporate Communications: Birgit Koch
Mediaplus Germany:
General Manager/Global Creative Lead: Maximilian Florian Schöngen
Senior Client Consultant: Lukas Pachoinig
Director Creative Media & Awards: Sabrina Duchow
Plan.Net Technology:
General Manager Development & Sourcing: Ret Lauterbach
Junior Web Developer: Yalcin Kilic
