Docs galore at 52nd DOK Leipzig
The 52nd DOK Leipzig - International Documentary and Animated Film Festival (October 26-November 1) kicked off yesterday. The oldest documentary festival in the world will this year show 330 films representing 69 countries (selected from 2,578 submissions from 108 countries).
The event opened with the world premiere of Berlin-Stettin, an autobiographical journey by German director Volker Koepp into the history of his country. The film, produced by Vineta Film, is among the 15 documentaries in international competition.
It will vie for the Golden and Silver Dove awards alongside 11 other European titles. These include Peter Kerekes’ Austrian/Czech/Slovakian co-production Cooking History; Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard’s French documentary The Arrivals, about a Parisian support centre for asylum seekers; and Jukka Kärkkäinen’s The Living Room of the Nation, which looks at six living rooms in six Finnish homes.
The non-competitive international programme comprises 50 titles, including almost 40 from Europe. Among them are Atanas Georgiev’s Austrian/Croatian/Macedonian documentary Cash & Marry, about two Macedonians in Vienna searching for a future wife, along with a new passport; Serbian director Boris Mitic’s blackly humorous Goodbye, How Are You?, a cross between a documentary and a satirical fairytale about a hero of our time; Norwegian director Erlend E. Mo’s Nemesis, which flirts with crime thriller elements; and Ventura Durall’s The Forgiveness, about the double life of schizophrenic Andrés Rabadán, who killed his father (see news).
DOK Leipzig is also hosting a German documentary competition; the international "Generation DOK" competition for young talents; several special programmes, including "Transit 89, Gdansk-Leipzig-Bucharest"; a retrospective dedicated to Dutch documentary filmmaker Joris Ivens (1898-1989), entitled "Filming the Impossible"; a master class with Danish editor Niels Pagh Andersen; and a series of discussions and meetings.
On the animation side, there are 36 films from 16 countries in international competition. Meanwhile, the non-competitive International Panorama sidebar is divided into three thematic sections: "Memories", "Relations" and "Strangers".
Audiences will also have the chance to discover special sections, on the work of East German animated filmmakers after 1989, "The Portuguese Soul", animated films for children, and animated documentaries. The line-up also includes discussions, meetings, and the Pink Elephant evening.
DOK Leipzig also organises the DOK Market Digital, which opened its doors to professionals last Sunday and is screening 150 recent documentaries, in addition to the festival titles.
(Translated from French)
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