Berlin-based Austrian filmmaker Ivette Löcker ( Night Shifts Like This, Ties That Connect ) likes to delve into human relationships and connections.
“My previous films often deal with relationships, different kinds of relationships,” says Thr on the sidelines of the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, where her latest documentary, Our Time Will Come ( Umhere Zeit Wird Kommen ), is being shown in the documentary competition. “And I was very interested in this kind of interracial relationship because I think it’s becoming more and more common. As members of the white majority, we need to get used to and learn more about these kinds of relationships.”
The synopsis on the Sarajevo Film Festival website sums up the film’s approach as follows: “After years of involuntary uncertainty and exile, Gambian Siaka and his wife Victoria returned to their story that stood out and, more importantly, their story, in addition to being used in their existence, and a family that stands out, in addition to being used in their existence, both in their story, in their existence, in their existence, in their existence, in their existence. Used, existence, and the beginning of a family.
The Berlin Film Festival website, where the film debuted, described it as "a portrait of a love between cultures that suffers, despite all the difficulties, in an Austria increasingly veering toward authoritarianism" amid the rise of a right-wing populist party. "Racism is a disease," Siaka says upon unleashing Steam in a documentary scene.
The film combines observational filming with interviews with Victoria, Siaka, and the couple. It takes viewers from Vienna, Austria, to Gambia. Löcker doesn't use any labels for his filmmaking style, but notes that, in addition to scenes and conversations with the couple, he also likes to "go for a calm, poetic style."
“For me, it's a [story] of modern love, because it's very common not to live in your home country,” explains Löcker.te Löcker
The genesis of the film is very unusual. “I was approached by this couple, who were very young for me,” the director recalls. “They asked if their story might be an interesting subject for a documentary. I was delighted to meet them.” The story behind it is that Löcker met Victoria at an Austrian film festival, Diagonale in Graz, in 2017, which screened “her short experimental film before my feature,” like Victoria’s short tetrad, Victoria, Kanten (Grenzen) before Löcker’s Ties That Connect .
"We met at the festival, and that same year, she met her now-husband, and we got in touch," Löcker explains. Years later, Victoria wrote to share that the couple was now married and that her husband had an interesting immigrant story. She asked if Löcker or anyone she knew might be interested in documenting hers and his story.
“When we had Zoom research interviews, because it was still during the pandemic, I realized it was very fascinating as, as a couple, they dealt with each other, how they communicate, while trying to bridge cultural gaps. Regarding these challenges, I then asked if they could imagine giving us insight into an interracial couple. I'm very happy for them to agree with that.”
The filmmaker followed the couple for a year after Siaka received her residency and work permits. "For me, it was interesting to portray them in a year when these kinds of questions and arguments were already more or less behind them, because my premise was: How do they handle everyday life?"
While Löcker initially hoped to focus on the couple, this theme expanded to a family focus. "After all, Siaka in particular longed for a child and a family. So this theme became increasingly important to the film."
Löcker also wanted to tell a more global story. "Our goal was to make a film that, of course, showcases the specific story with its specific problems, but also shows more so that people can relate to it wherever they are, whether it's migrant stories or not. I think people can relate to these kinds of challenges."
What's next for the filmmaker? "I have a new project, and we'll try to start the financing process in September," Löcker told Thr , giving some details about the project. "It's about female friendship. This time, I'll be working with more protagonists, which is quite new for me."
