I AM: 5 Questions for Filmmaker Jerry Hoffmann

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

As you know Tinsel & Tine covers all genre of movies and films, mainly because I’m just a fan of good storytelling so I keep myself open to however that finds me.  But, if someone were to ask me my favorite genre I would unequivocally say Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Magical Realism.  So when I was sent a trailer for a short about a beautiful black android directed by a black filmmaker, (Ghanaian roots), I felt it deserved to be added to my 5 Questions Series!

I AM synopsis: One day, the withdrawn Noé (Sheri Hagan) finds a motionless android (Melodie Wakivuamina) in the forest, takes it with her and reactivates it. It’s the beginning of a strange relationship. Far too late, Noé realizes that the android is about to copy her personality.

I AM questions the public discourse on robot ethics and raises questions for which there are no answers (yet). This female led drama premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose (March 20-30, 2021) and just screened at Cleveland International Film Festival (April 7-20, 2021)

I AM was written by Florens Huhn, directed by Jerry Hoffmann, photographed by Lena Katharina Krause and produced by Stella Flicker. The German collective of four filmmakers have come together for a second time (after their first internationally acclaimed short “MALL”) to create this unique science fiction short about the special relationship between a woman and an android.

And Here’s 5 Questions for Jerry Hoffmann

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for I AM and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Jerry Hoffmann: When we started to develop the story for I AM our collective of four (screenwriter, producer, director, DoP) already knew about our mutual fascination for Artificial Intelligence. The four of us had previously produced a short film addressing gendered toys for kids and their impact on early on established gender roles. 

There is a direct connection to the fact that most technical sciences are still dominated by (white) men. The developed voice assistants Siri, Alexa, Corana and co. are not only submissive and passive, they also all carry a female voice. The first humanoid robots on this planet were white female androids built by white male scientists. The amount of outdated female gender roles created by white men in AI is obvious and from our point of view very problematic. Therefore inclusivity was one of the main forces to tell this story. A sci-fi story with two black female leads has not been produced in Germany before. Telling this story was hugely important to us for many reasons. Among others, to give black actresses and narratives a spotlight and to address the lack of a diverse and female cast and crew in European films.

T&T: What message are you hoping this film will communicate to those who see it? (deviating from our usual question on music or food)

Hoffmann: Two themes that emerge from this short are about diversity and also subconsciously the relationship between the sexes. The center of our movie is the relationship between two black women. Although there is one (presumably) male character at the end, the intention was to focus on these two women – one human being and one android –  in a near future. 

Although male dominance and oppression over the female body as some kind of ownership is part of the story, the focus lies on female empowerment and the questions about dignity.

It was important to us, to tell a story where the male body is not the center of attention nor needed for female satisfaction. The emerging consciousness about toxic masculinity and misogyny (which have been accepted over the past thousands of years of patriarchal structures in our society) is forming a small path to a future of intersectional justice for people of all genders, skin colors and social backgrounds and we are ready to walk that path. Together with female leads and complex characters with their own will and choices, there are great stories yet to be told. Having two black female leads not talking about their skin color or race related identity struggles also seemed important to us.

We hope to inspire our audience to believe in a brighter future by acknowledging current injustices and acting on them. 

T&T:  Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish I AM And if so, what pushed you forward? 

Hoffmann: As we produced our short during an ongoing global pandemic we are extremely humble that we were able to shoot without stopping production or having any serious health issues. We are so happy to now be able to share our short online with the world, even though we do miss the experience of showing our movie in theatre to real-life audiences we can interact and talk with. We won’t stop dreaming about a cinema premiere where we can celebrate the journey of our film with our team, family and friends someday.

We also do know that we are in a very privileged position of still being able to finish our master’s degrees and finding great following jobs and projects. These tough times of social distancing have shown the importance of good storytelling and home entertainment and there are new opportunities ahead of us.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get your film from an idea to the screen.

Hoffmann: Most of all we are thankful for each and every team member and supporter who went with us all the way to make this movie possible. Its been a pure pleasure and privilege to work with such talented and inspirational people.

T&T:  Name 5 of your favorite films which influenced the making of I AM:

Hoffmann: Ex Machina (click for T&T post)  | US (click for T&T post)| Her  (click for T&T post)| The Morgan Project | A.I. Artificial Intelligence

I AM Creative Team Socials : @jerryhoffmann (IG) @stellaflicker (Twitter) @florenswho (IG) @lenakatharinakrause (IG)

Jerry Hoffmann is a director and actor of German and Ghanaian roots. He was discovered by his acting agent at 15 and starred in his first movie at 18, as one of the leads in the critically acclaimed film SHAHADA, which premiered in the competition at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. After appearing in numerous productions for Film and Theatre (a supporting role in HITMAN AGENT 47‘, and the lead in HEIL, which premiered at the Karlovy Vary Filmfest in 2015) he decided to focus more on the production side of film and finished his studies with an MFA in Directing at the Hamburg Media School. His various shorts have been very well received. MALL und 90% premiered 2020 at the well known Max Ophüls Festival in Germany and are currently traveling the world. Jerry is a member of the German Film Academy and represented by CAA. He is currently working in Turkey in an untitled international Netflix production. I AM is Jerry’s thesis movie.

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