29/03/2010

The 2010 Doc Alliance Selection was recently announced during the press conference of the Visions Du Reel documentary festival (April 15-21) in Nyon, Switzerland. Doc Alliance Selection is an annual series of five innovative documentaries selected by each of the Doc Alliance partner festivals: CPH:DOX Copenhagen, DOK Leipzig, IDFF Jihlava, Planete Doc Review Warsaw and Visions Du Reel.

The five titles will tour each festival during the year and contend for the Doc Alliance Award, which will be granted by an international jury during 2010 IDDF Jihlava (October 26-31).

The selected films are:

Into Eternity by Michael Madsen (Denmark/Finland, 2009, 75”)
Selected by CPH: DOX Copenhagen
Into Eternity follows the digging and pre-implementation of the Onkalo nuclear waste repository in Olkiluoto, Finland, while examining the principles at the core of nuclear waste management.

The Arrivals by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard (France, 2009, 111”)
Selected by DOK Leipzig
Centered around the CAFDA, a municipal reception centre for asylum seeking families, The Arrivals is sympathetic portrayal of transition that delicately reveals the nuances of contemporary Europe, in contrast to the persecution and political oppression found beyond its borders.

Metrobranding by Ana Vlad and Adrian Voicu (Romania, 2010, 92”)
Selected by IDDF Jihlava
In communist Romania, each and every consumer product could be found only in one brand. These six brands appeared approximately at the same time, along with socialist industrialization, became objects of desire in the daily lives and dreams of the Romanian people.

Steam of Life by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen (Finland/Sweden, 2010, 84”)
Selected by Planete Doc Review Warsaw
In the warmth of rusty saunas, naked men ritualistically cleanse themselves, both physically and mentally. With the utmost simplicity and exceptional intimacy, Steam of Life captures the naked souls of these vulnerable storytellers, creating a poetic portrayal of Finnish men.

Aisheen (Still Alive in Gaza) by Nicolas Wadimoff (Switzerland/France, 2009, 86”)
Selected by Visual Du Reel
A situation report from the Gaza Strip in February 2009, just one month after Israel’s military offensive. Aisheen shows what it means to rebuild one’s life and common existence in a destroyed region severed by an ongoing blockade.