Image: “Hiwwe wie Driwwe 2” shows relationship with USA

Movie “Hiwwe wie Driwwe 2” shows the relationship with USA

Saumagen Made in America: A film focused in a tongue-in-cheek way on the relationship between America and the Rhineland-Palatinate, ahead of the US presidential election in November. “Hiwwe wie Driwe 2” is a sequel to the documentary of the same name, in which Douglas Maddenford, who grew up in Pennsylvania, travels through his homeland and the Palatinate in 2019 in search of clues. It was a popular hit. And now comes part 2 – a nationwide cinema release on 25th April.

“In Part 1 we sent an American on a journey,” says director Benjamin Wagoner. “The sequel is told from a Palatinate perspective. It was exciting how well you communicate in the Palatinate dialect in Pennsylvania – and how similar the mood is. We learned about many things only after filming Part 1.”

Paladinate Monji El Peji, singer of the bands Fine RIP and Woifeshtkanich, goes looking for clues on his folding bike in “Hiway wy Driveway 2” in the US. He experiences firsthand how people put their heart and soul into their “Motherspruch” and way of life.

The team filmed for about three weeks in June/July 2022, primarily in Kutztown (Pennsylvania) and Berlin (Ohio). “We shot for about 15 days in Germany in 2022/23 in the entire Palatinate-speaking region,” says Wagener, who was born in Landau in 1982. “The film shows how warm and open the people of the Palatinate are, and that you can find a part of the Palatinate home in Pennsylvania. It shows how useful it is to keep traditions and language alive without forgetting your origins.”

Funding is the biggest obstacle, says Wagener, to a possible further part of “Hiwwe wie Driwe” (Hiben wie yonder). “That's why we expect a good audience response in the theatres. We already have a great idea for part 3.” He wants to go on a research trip here in November. “The people of the Palatinate didn't just immigrate to America. So there's a lot more to say.”

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