Irmi Selver (1906–2004) had a long and fascinating life, one touched by love and tragedy, challenges and resilience. This documentary portrait, based on her memoirs and codirected by her daughter Veronica Selver and Susan Fanshel, traces Irmi’s personal story across the political and social history of the last century. From her upbringing in a Jewish family in Chemnitz, Germany, to her flight from Nazism with her husband and young children, to beginning life again in New York—not just once but twice—the telling of Irmi’s story unfolds against a treasure trove of archival imagery, photographs, drawings, and home movies that capture the spirit of each chapter of her life. Beautifully conceived, finely balanced, and exquisitely paced, the film features a voiceover by Hanna Schygulla, who reads Irmi’s memoirs, and a score by Todd Boekelheide, featuring Sarah Cahill on piano. Selver and Fanshel bring their years of experience as social issue documentary filmmakers to this project, resulting in a work steeped in wisdom and nuance that shares the&nbsp;joie de vivre&nbsp;that Irmi Selver embodied. —Susan Oxtoby

Irmi

This beautiful documentary portrait of German Jewish émigrée Irmi Selver (1906–2004), based on her memoirs (read by Hanna Schygulla), takes us on a unique journey through a life marked by love, unimaginable loss, and strength of spirit.

A live conversation recorded on September 13, 2020 with&nbsp;Irmi&nbsp;directors Veronica Selver and Susan Fanshel, and Todd Boekelheide, who composed the film’s score.

Irmi Livestream Conversation

A live conversation recorded on September 13, 2020 with IRMI directors Veronica Selver and Susan Fanshel, and Todd Boekelheide, who composed the film’s score.

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