Two women on a mission: the next step in film production

A cinema operator once asked them what kind of films they were planning.

Because he can then prepare for what is to be expected of current events in the near future.

Eva Maria Magel

Senior cultural editor of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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With "Kabul, City in The Wind" by Aboozar Amini about everyday life in Afghanistan after the Europeans and Americans have left the country, with "This Rain Will Never Stop" by Alina Gorlova about a Syrian-Ukrainian family whose fate is linked to wars and escape, with Yulia Lokshina's "Rules on the Tape at High Speed", just as Corona began and the Eastern European temporary workers in the German slaughterhouse industry suddenly came into view, the Frankfurt distributor JIP had exactly the right films in their program when it here and there it was possible to get new films into the cinemas despite the pandemic.

"We had the films," says Julia Irene Peters, and: "We took risks that paid off," adds Jutta Feit.

"Our films give a certain power"

Now Feit and Peters, whose initials gave the name to JIP film production, have been in the distribution business for five years - and are back with "Mutter Mutter Kind" by Annette Ernst about a rainbow family and "Black Mambas" by Lena Karbe about South African rangers current topics in the program.

Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing's "Midwives" about midwives, women's health and child welfare is coming soon, just as midwives' pay is being discussed again in Germany.

Which means that Jutta Feit and Julia Peters always have to be one step ahead.

And the two women have obviously succeeded in doing this since they founded their company together.

The fact that they have now received the "Newcomer Prize" for this year's Hessian Film Prize does not fit one hundred percent - because before JIP both had already gained experience in various film companies.

The fact that Feit became Peters' parental leave replacement at Daniel Zuta's film production facility in Frankfurt twelve years ago brought the two together.

Their first collaborative work was Peters' 2017 film Sing it Loud about African choral music.

And even then, in direction, production and distribution, they tried out for the first time what JIP has as a certain unique selling point.

“We work a lot with initiatives and associations,

this is how we form a network that supports the films in the cinema,” says Feit, summarizing the principle.

However, that doesn't work with just any film, which is why JIP concentrated on films with "impact" from the start: political and social issues, a global view, many productions by women, films that want to make a difference and with discussions, film talks, intensive Cinema tours find their audience in the halls.

"There's a certain power to our films," observed Peters.

Because many of the films that deal with enormous global challenges have the tenor that change can be achieved.

The fact that they “like all their films very much”, as the two simply say, also carried them over Corona.

However, that doesn't work with just any film, which is why JIP concentrated on films with "impact" from the start: political and social issues, a global view, many productions by women, films that want to make a difference and with discussions, film talks, intensive Cinema tours find their audience in the halls.

"There's a certain power to our films," observed Peters.

Because many of the films that deal with enormous global challenges have the tenor that change can be achieved.

The fact that they “like all their films very much”, as the two simply say, also carried them over Corona.

However, that doesn't work with just any film, which is why JIP concentrated on films with "impact" from the start: political and social issues, a global view, many productions by women, films that want to make a difference and with discussions, film talks, intensive Cinema tours find their audience in the halls.

"There's a certain power to our films," observed Peters.

Because many of the films that deal with enormous global challenges have the tenor that change can be achieved.

The fact that they “like all their films very much”, as the two simply say, also carried them over Corona.

who want to make a difference and find their audience with discussions, film talks and intensive cinema tours, in the halls.

"There's a certain power to our films," observed Peters.

Because many of the films that deal with enormous global challenges have the tenor that change can be achieved.

The fact that they “like all their films very much”, as the two simply say, also carried them over Corona.

who want to make a difference and find their audience with discussions, film talks and intensive cinema tours, in the halls.

"There's a certain power to our films," observed Peters.

Because many of the films that deal with enormous global challenges have the tenor that change can be achieved.

The fact that they “like all their films very much”, as the two simply say, also carried them over Corona.

 Women's team with three permanent employees

"Corona hit big craters in the film business," says Feit.

The strategy of looking at each film carefully and developing your own marketing strategy seems to be paying off.

The two make decisions together, working in tandem pays off, they say.

Of course, they too have learned the hard way here and there.

The basic course, Peters with an emphasis on finances, Feit on scheduling, but fits.

It is important to both of them that more political films are booked.

You are in the right place for that, after all it is the distributors who make their selections and ensure what is available for the cinemas.

Feit and Peters see with concern that there has now been a real backlog of new films due to the pandemic: The situation is particularly difficult for young people.

"In the beginning we concentrated entirely on distribution," says Peters, who started out as a producer.

Now more production is to come again - two films have already been written and will go into production in 2023, a total of four JIP films are currently being planned, and with them the step further to feature films.

Peters is also planning her own directorial project. Growing up in East Germany, she wants to deal with those activists who wanted to create a better new state in just a few months after the fall of the Wall in 1989.

Peters says they felt very strongly that as a women's team with three permanent employees they were still a minority, and there were only three female distributors in Germany.

The two are well networked through national and international industry meetings and further training and also appreciate the atmosphere of the Hessian film scene.

"We want this to be a good location," says Feit.

Going more into production is therefore a “logical step”, according to Peters.