20/09/2023 - Arndt Ginzel’s White Angel – The End of Marinka will kick off the festival, which will have a special focus on Central and Eastern European cinema, and further expand its animation activities

The last few weeks have seen a flurry of news from DOK Leipzig, which is set to take place from 8-15 October. The 66th edition of the festival will open with the world premiere of German director Arndt Ginzel’s White Angel – The End of Marinka. The film documents evacuation and rescue operations in the titular town in the Donetsk region from spring to autumn 2022.

“The survivors’ testimony speaks of loss, of pain and of grief, but also of hopes and dreams,” says festival director Christoph Terhechte. “More than a film about war, White Angel – The End of Marinka is a document of humanity and a longing for peace.”

The festival has announced a section called “Panorama: Central and Eastern Europe”, with films from Estonia, Georgia, Croatia, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, including several world premieres, such as Juliane Tutein's Who, If Not Us? The Fight for Democracy in Belarus. Notable recent films such as Marianna Kaat's Hot Docs entry The Last Relic [+see also:
film review
film profile] and the Venice Giornate degli Autori prizewinner Photophobia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pe…
film profile] by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík are also in the selection, which additionally features “Focus: Post-1991 Slovenian Documentary Films”.

The industry programme is also geared towards Eastern Europe, opening with the panel “Displaced by Dictatorship and War: Belarusian Independent Filmmakers in Europe”, which will take place with the participation of the recently launched Belarusian Independent Film Academy (BIFA – see the news). In addition to traditional DOK Leipzig industry events, such as DOK Preview Training, DOK Preview Germany, DOK Short n' Sweet, Meet the Experts, DOK Archive Market, the Ex Oriente Film workshop, panels, lectures and presentations, master classes will be held by editor Yaël Bitton and director Peter Mettler, who will also enjoy an homage. The whole industry programme can be found here.

Along with the newly established Golden Dove awards for feature-length and short animated films (see the news), the festival is further expanding its industry activities into the animation sector with several events, including Animation Lab DOK Leipzig (launched in cooperation with CEE Animation), an AG Animationsfilm panel, the networking event Animation Meets Doc and a get-together hosted by AG Animationsfilm, ASIFA Germany, AG Kurzfilm and DIAF. US animator Tess Martin will enjoy a retrospective during "Animation Night", while award-winning animation artists Anne Isensee and Michelle Brand have been invited to be the focus of the “Animation Perspectives” section, where they will give each other and the audience an in-depth look into their work and their vision.