We had the pleasure of viewing I AM, a short film by director and actor of German and Ghanaian roots, Jerry Hoffmann. I AM is captivating with breathtaking cinematography and acting from the very first shot, and depicts a near-futuristic reality sequence between a human and a robot.
The essence of the film reminds me of the FKA Twigs lyrics, “I’ve never seen a hero like me in a sci-fi“, as the film documents an enchanting but complexed relationship between two beings in isolation.
The German Science Fiction short is set to world-premiere at Cleveland International Film Festival from April 7th to April 20th.
One day, the withdrawn Noé (played by Sheri Hagen) finds a motionless android (played by Melodie Wakivuamina) in the forest, takes her and reactivates it.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.
The film-writer, Florens Huhn has a modern and synchronistic style that often circles around topics of power structures and identity. Lena Katharina Krause’s exceptional camera work is evocative and bold and colour graded to perfection.
Director Jerry Hoffmann 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. 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.
The film is produced by Stella Flicker, who is an Austrian film producer living in Germany. Her main aim is to portrait a realistic, contemporary representation of our diverse society, while leaving behind outdated clichés and stereotypes. She’s devoted her creative work to uncover political and social disparities and inequalities and bring them to a wider audience.
We can definitely see I AM evolving into a bigger feature or TV series, there are allusions to an expanded universe throughout the film and the ending shows that there is more than meets the eye. We cannot wait to see this evolve.
