Isabel Jansson makes big splash with mid-length triumph Heimat Europa
“It’s a struggle, but it’s all worth it.”
Photo provided by Isabel Jansson
Jason Pchajek, staff writer
It has often been said that time is a flat circle. That no matter what we do, we are meant to follow the same paths throughout history. That the names and places may change, but the underlying experiences remain the same.
This is felt powerfully in Isabel Jansson’s Heimat Europa, a film that tackles the universality of the female experience, the refugee journey to find ‘home’, and the way our past and future are closely intertwined.
For this monster effort, Jansson has been nominated for Most Promising International Filmmaker for the 2020 UWPG Film Festival, and for good reason.
Still: Heimat Europa
The production had more moving parts than a Rolex watch, as Jansson and her team had to balance different timelines, different historical periods, and varied settings. Among the films showcased during the 2020 festival, hers is one of the longest, with one of the largest casts, but the German filmmaker worked hard to keep her principals first.
“It was a challenge, that’s for sure,” she said.
“I am part of the green filmmaking movement, so there was another factor that was put into consideration for finding the locations. We tried to cut traveling as much as possible.
“Therefore, almost the whole film was shot in Bavaria. We had a long hunt for the old farmhouse and the steam locomotive, but in the end it was worth it. Many people helped […] find the locations and in the end, we settled for good compromises and sometimes even perfect spots.”
This is not to say the production was perfect and easy. Far from it, as anyone in the film industry can attest to the long hours, strange schedules, and countless snags. But in the end the experience helped Jansson grow as a filmmaker.
“I definitely learned a lot in the process,” she said.
“It took us longer than expected and there were some minor and major catastrophes in the [production], which also took their toll.
“I think what I took away from this experience was that a human being can survive a long time without food or sleep. And that when you take [on] a personal story, your stakes are higher, and you are willing to do things you normally would not have considered to finish the project.”
Heimat Europa was inspired in part by Jansson’s own family history, as the film concerns a young German family fleeing Poland during the Second World War – an experience not often seen in Western cinema.
Still: Heimat Europa
“My father was born in 1945 during the flight to Germany,” Jansson said.
“His mother escaped the war pregnant with five little children and the story astounded me from the beginning. I was lucky that I was able to gain my research from many old family letters, but also numerous other sources such as original documentary films of that time and interviews with contemporary witnesses.
“I wanted to create a story which was not as much the personal history of my family but a testimony [to] a universal forced migration of that era.”
The refugee experience is key to the film, as one timeline focuses on a German family fleeing the fighting and being victimized on the way, while another focuses on Minna – played wonderfully by Janina Fautz – and a former refugee from Kurdistan named Amar – played by Passar Hariky.
“I wish people were more conscious about how migration made their families what they are now,” Jansson said.
“Almost nobody stays at their birthplace forever. Some may leave for their dreams; some are forced through external factors. It surely makes a big difference what’s the cause, but still both have a huge influence on the personal history of a person.
“We are all sharing a part of this experience. And we must take on the responsibility that comes with it with knowledge and humanity.”
Still: Heimat Europa
Another major theme in the film is also personal to Jansson. It focuses heavily on the experience of women, and how that transcends time itself.
The film touches on how men treat women, for better or for worse, the safety women feel or don’t feel in the world, and the ways in which women come together that men do not understand.
On the experience of being a woman, Jansson says, “it’s a struggle, but it’s all worth it.
“Being a woman is not always easy and it may take some time to find a spot where you can truly be yourself, but you can never give up looking for this place – or time!
“I think we all share this experience, some in a more existential [way], and some in a more everyday kind of way. Feeling this connection between your ancestors and yourself can grow a strong feeling of an inner ally, which you can carry with you all the time.
“Talk to your female relatives as long as they are around, share your experiences and maybe you will find out that you have more in common than you ever imagined.”