Johatsu – Into Thin Air wins the DOK.international Main Competition at DOK.fest Munich
by Teresa Vena
- Besides the victory clinched by directorial duo Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori, the VIKTOR Dok.deutsch went to Zwischen uns Gott by Rebecca Hirneise
A new edition of DOK.fest Munich unfolded from 1-12 May. Once again, documentaries from around the world competed in several categories. In the main competition, the hopefuls were 12 international documentaries upon which a jury of three gave its verdict. The jury members included Silvia Finazzi (international sales agent at Cinecittà SpA), Ania Trzebiatowska (feature-film programmer at the Sundance Film Festival) and Ümit Uludağ (producer for artistic feature-length documentaries at Corso Film).
The VIKTOR DOK.international prize, endowed with €10,000 and sponsored by Bayerischer Rundfunk, went to Johatsu – Into Thin Air [+see also:
interview: Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori
film profile] by Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori. This German-Japanese production dives deep into Japanese society, revealing some profound wounds. The jury said of its decision: “We decided to reward a film that introduced us to a world and issues we didn’t know existed. One that did so in a deeply empathetic and moving way, while also taking us on an immersive cinematic journey with its intimate – yet far from intrusive – camerawork and evocative music. The filmmakers successfully wove together complex stories of loneliness, despair and shame without any sense of judgement, but instead with deep respect for individual human experiences. It's a unique and delicately crafted film that moved and surprised us, and we hope it will be seen and appreciated by audiences around the world.”
As for the VIKTOR Dok.deutsch, which is awarded to a film that deals with people or topics from German-speaking areas, the winner was Zwischen uns Gott by Austrian helmer Rebecca Hirneise. A jury of three gave the prize, endowed with €7,500 and sponsored by Sky, to the documentary, in which the director revisits her family and its religious beliefs. The jury, composed of Stephanie Fuchs (sales manager at Autlook Filmsales), Leopold Grün (filmmaker and teacher at Vision Kino) and Sebastian Höglinger (curator at Distribution/Text and former director of the Diagonale) said about the film: “This prize-winning debut distinguishes itself through a deep respect for its protagonists. It is difficult to watch or listen to at times; opinions strongly diverge, and statements hurt and sometimes tip into fundamentalism. It is irritating in the truest sense of the word to want to understand, yet the direction makes an attempt [at this] – without giving up its own position or elevating it above any other in a judgemental way. Through a personal narrative that nonetheless thinks universally, an experience is made possible that seems barely conceivable and that sometimes leaves us in disbelief.”
The third-most-important competition was the “Horizonte – Cinema of Urgency” section. The ten films that partook in this category “tell stories from countries in transition”. The award, endowed with €5,000, is sponsored by the Petra Kelly Foundation and supported by Engagement Global and the BMZ. The international jury of three – namely, Liuying Cao (co-founder and head of international sales at Midnight Blur Films and Parallax Films), Helga Grigoryeva (freelance producer, cultural manager and consultant) and Enikő Gyureskó (managing director of the Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival) – awarded the VIKTOR to Kamay [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran. The jury stated: “We would like to reward a previously untold story that sheds light on the heartbreaking events that take place in one family, reflecting the drama of a whole ethnic group. The directors carefully guide the viewer through the grief of the family members, revealing the roots of hundreds of years of oppression.”
Here is the complete list of award winners at this year’s DOK.fest Munich:
VIKTOR DOK.international Main Competition
Johatsu – Into Thin Air [+see also:
interview: Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori
film profile] – Andreas Hartmann, Arata Mori (Germany/Japan)
VIKTOR DOK.deutsch
Zwischen uns Gott – Rebecca Hirneise (Austria)
VIKTOR DOK.horizonte
Kamay [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Ilyas Yourish, Shahrokh Bikaran (Belgium/France/Germany)
FFF Talent Award Documentary Film
Exile Never Ends – Bahar Bektas (Germany)
megaherz Student Award
Hausnummer Null – Lilith Kugler (Germany)
Dok.edit Award – presented by Adobe
Yaël Bitton, Károly Szalai - KIX [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Croatia/France/Hungary)
kinokind Audience Award
Jenseits von Schuld - Katharina Köster, Katrin Nemec (Germany)
VFF Documentary Film Production Award
Land der verlorenen Kinder – Oliver Stoltz (Germany/Venezuela)
German Documentary Film Music Award
My Stolen Planet [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Atena Eshtiaghi (Germany/Iran)
DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit
A New Kind of Wilderness [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Silje Evensmo Jacobsen (Norway)
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