The film was originally scheduled for release on 20 March 2020, but the nationwide lockdown came into effect a few days earlier. The director is now looking forward to sharing her documentary with a Weimar audience for the first time as part of a small German tour: »Weimar played a major role in the creation of the film, so it’s meaningful for me to be here on the launch date and to be able to discuss the film with the audience«, says Nicola Hens.
Nicola Hens has been working as an artistic staff member at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar since 2015 and teaches in the field of documentary film and camera. She began working on »Chichinette« around the same time. »Creating a feature film is a long and intensive process«, says Hens. »The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, in particular Prof. Wolfgang Kissel, Professor of Media Events, encouraged me throughout the entire process and supported me as much as they could. I worked together with my colleague Aline Helmke, then a guest researcher in the department of Multimedia Narration, for the film's animation sequences. In terms of my teaching, my experience creating »Chichinette« also benefited my students. It was interesting for them to receive first-hand practical reports on the technical and artistic challenges of producing an international feature film«.

About this Film:
At 100 years old, Marthe Cohn tours the world like a rock star. The little white-haired lady has character, a sense of humour, and lots of energy. It is quickly made clear to that audience why she was called »Chichinette« (little pain in the ass) back then. Her speeches are entertaining and peppered with clever punch lines. Marthe captivates audiences with her wit and charm – and with her incredible life story. Marthe Hoffnung, a French Jew from Metz, lost her fiancé and sister in the war and, in 1945, decided to risk her life by working as a spy for the Allies in Nazi Germany and to fight until the end of the war. Her mission was successful, but she didn't speak to anyone about her exploits until 60 years after the end of the war. The documentary tells the story of her impressive life using partly animated images.

The trailer for the film can be found on Vimeo: vimeo.com/456905956