GERMAN SELECTION: Precious Ivie

Saturday, November 12, 4 pm
Embassy of Switzerland
2900 Cathedral Ave
Washington, DC 20008

Metro: Woodley Park (Red)

Admission for this event is free. Please RSVP via Eventbrite.

Ticket holders will be admitted to choose their seats on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tickets

Germany (2021), 112 min. German with English Subtitles

Director: Sarah Blaßkiewitz, Screenplay: Sarah Blaßkiewitz, Cinematography: Constanze Schmitt, David Schmitt, Cast: Haley Louise Jones, Lorna Ishema, Anne Haug, Maximilian Brauer, Producers: Milena Klemke, Yvonne Wellie, Jakob Weydemann, Jonas Weydemann, Production Company: Weydemann Bros. GmbH.

Ivie (Jones) is a 30-year-old German woman with African roots living in Leipzig, whose life seems to be at a standstill. Struggling to land a permanent teaching position, she spends her time between job interviews, hanging out with her friends, who've nicknamed her "Shoko" (literally Choco), and working a part-time job. However, Ivie's life is up-ended when Naomi (Ishema), her half-sister from Berlin, shows up unexpectedly with news of their father's death and his upcoming funeral in Senegal.

Neither sister knew their father, nor did they know each other. But as the sisters from two very different cities and backgrounds grow closer, Ivie begins to question her nickname, culture, and self-image as she finds the strength within herself to move forward. Writer-Director Sarah Blaßkiewitz's multi-award-winning feature debut is an intelligently crafted examination of identity and everyday racism.



AWARDS
German Screen Actors Awards 2022: Best Leading Role (Haley Louise Jones)
German Film Awards 2021: Best supporting Actress (Lorna Ishema)
Filmkunstmesse Leipzig 2021: Guild Film Award, Best Film (Junges Kino)
Festival of German Films Ludwigshafen 2021: Best Film
achtung berlin 2021 - new berlin film award: Best Acting (Haley Louise Jones and Lorna Ishema)
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019: Baltic Event Works in Progress – Award

Sarah Blasskiewitz was born in Leipzig in 1986 and grew up in Potsdam. While completing her studies in audiovisual media (2006 to 2011), she worked in the directing and camera departments on various film productions. Her graduation film AUF DEM WEG NACH OBEN premiered at the Max-Ophüls Festival, and her short film BLANK (2016) screened at numerous festivals. In 2017, she received development funding for her mini-series concept SUPERCREW. Most recently, she directed the final season of the series DRUCK, which premiered in 2022. IVIE WIE IVIE is her debut feature as director.

Film|Neu is a cooperation of the Goethe-Institut Washington, the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington, and the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, with support from JxJ and DC Shorts. Film|Neu is generously funded by the Friends of the Goethe-Institut in Washington, DC.