3rd competition film of the 18th Ahrenshooper Filmnächte, moderated by Dietmar Kraus
VENA by Chiara Fleischhacker (D 2024, 121 min)
Jenny (Emma Nova) loves her boyfriend Bolle (Paul Wollin), with whom she is expecting a child. What means the greatest happiness for others triggers ambivalent feelings in Jenny, because life has dealt her a lot before. She has clashed with the law and the youth welfare office, and her relationship with Bolle is increasingly suffering from their drug addiction. When the family midwife Marla (Friederike Becht) is assigned to them, Jenny initially reacts dismissively. But contrary to expectations, Marla does not judge her, but sees her as the person she is at her core. Jenny begins to trust Marla. But there is still the threat of a prison sentence, which the pregnant Jenny has to serve.
CHIARA FLEISCHHACKER
Chiara Fleischhacker was born in Kassel in 1993 and lived in Erfurt from the age of 14, where she attended an elite boarding school for sport. After studying psychology in Freiburg for two years, she began studying documentary film directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in 2015. During her studies, she made three documentaries and three scenic short films, which were shown at numerous international film festivals and won several awards. In 2022, she received the prestigious Thomas Strittmatter Award for her screenplay for her feature film debut VENA. The film has also received three nominations for the FIRST STEPS newcomer award.
