Jãnis Abele: The Last Will

I am in Paris. In Rue Saint Denis. In an apartment where I have been several times with my wife. In an area where Anatols Imermanis (1914 – 1998) would have loved to have stayed. And he did through his poetry, where he brought himself to the city of love and erotics as he puts it. He lived in Soviet Latvia and was not allowed to travel. Many of his poems were never published. But he earned his money writing detective stories.

Rue Saint Denis, one of the classical streets for prostitutes, it still is, I can confirm having looked from my apartment windows, even if someone in the film says it is not. Well they are not young any longer, maybe they were, when Imermanis wrote about them. And Paris his dream city, in many ways I agree, where he would love to have his ashes spread… .

Anyway, Imermanis is the protagonist of this joyful documentary detective story that circles around who his was, with examples of his poetry, with a focus on his love to women and sex and as mentioned his wish to be buried in Paris, maybe by one of the naughty professional women he writes and dreams about. But where is his urn, his ashes… that brings in the detective perspective:

To find out where …”becomes the mission of the main character on screen, a poet and a soulmate Aleksandrs Zapols who takes up a role of investigator… to fulfil the last wish of Anatols Imermanis 34 years after death.”

He asks friends of Imermanis about him and they add to the portrait: A lonely man, obsessed with the opposite sex, does not want to be with family. He is with friends, who helps him, Zapols walks around having calvados and wine talking about the poet wanting to re-create the atmosphere, he loved.

Two stories are hilarious and deserves to be mentioned: The female journalist, who interviewed him – that was his condition – naked, she said yes and was shocked, when he lifted the blanket… it was like the Tour Eiffel, she says! And his friend who brought in “half corona” cigars from the West through customs showing an official document claiming that cigars was medicine for the poet to help his low blood pressure!!!

(I wish that was a fact, writes this former cigar smoker, who has promised himself to start again, when times come, it is a temptation, when I pass the Tabac just around the corner, and Poul Rude and I wanted to smoke after a visit to the Orson Welles exhibition…)

That’s a another story but one of the friends says it: He lived from coffee and cigars and when there was no more of that, he died.

Back to Paris: The detective, Aleksandrs Zapols, finds the urn and heads for Paris with a friend to make the poet’s last will come through. They investigate the places that Imermanis was dreaming of; Closerie des Lilas, the famous restaurant where literary and artistic notabilities came, they go to Pigalle and Moulin Rouge and to the Saint André des Arts street, where a special place is to be found… never heard about it but according to the film it is close to my favorite art house cinema in the same street…

Enough of spoilers but… look at the photo, the dancer from the place in the street mentioned above spreads Imermanis ashes to the Seine and some of it blows back to her cleavage! Imermanis would have loved it, the detective says. Indeed!

Latvia, 74 mins., 2025.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Aiste Žegulytė: Holy Destructors

The Envision competition, according to the IDFA festival, “shows unparalleled, stylistically arresting films, where visionary filmmakers forge new cinematic languages.” Lithuanian Aiste Žegulytė´s new film fits perfect to this definition. Her film is innovative, to say the least; it is attractive and fascinating, surprising in its narrative, serious and full of humour, and full of admiration for the Lithuanian conservators, who are in the film, doing their holy work restoring the skeletons of important noble people and altar pieces, to be shining like never before.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” or “Of land you have come to the earth you must be” – it is a film about death. And Life. More precise, bringing death to life. Of course it is, seen through the screen’s microscope circle that is what we look through almost through the whole film, and yet the circle is a few times changed to images of fungi growing and shrinking, flourishing like flowers; it’s like psychedelic experimental films, pure beauty.

An enormous research lies behind this film. Žegulytė knows her art history and she has found beautiful paintings from way back, some look like Brueghel, mostly she has chosen faces, and when the elderly lady is cleaning a painting and puts a tear in the eye of a woman, she also “put” a tear in my eye. The film has several emotional moments and at one point I think I heard from the excellent soundtrack a variation of “Autumn Leaves” composed by Joseph Kosma. Anyway, the film has a melancholic tone and its own rhythm.

The archive beginning is amazing putting documentary clips from our lives under the microscope. From birth to death. And then some cells floating around… what is this, I thought the first time I saw the film on my Mac, the next time, right now, I have seen the film on a big tv screen enjoying fully the images, being entertained and informed about how art pieces and corpses are being revived by dedicated conservators, who bring the past to the present. Incredible film!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Jesper Dalgaard: Mors Drenge

Det er den yngste søn Philippe som spørger sin 95 år gamle far, “elsker du mig?”. Faren tøver en kende før han siger, “jeg tror ikke jeg ved, hvad det er at elske”. Denne scene er blot én af mange, som er rørende, hvor jeg kom til at holde af både søn og far. Hvor jeg krummede tæer, fordi det var et ægte dokumentarisk øjeblik. 

Et af mange forbløffende og forbavsende øjeblikke i en forrygende film af et kæmpetalent, som med “Mors Drenge” fornyer dokumentargenren på en måde som Jon Bang Carlsen og Jørgen Leth har gjort før.

Det er spillevende og originalt fundet på at iscenesætte episoder i brødrenes liv. At invitere et orkester ind på scenen, at lade et “græsk” kor kommentere, det er klassisk teater og moderne film på én gang. Og det er morsomt at se barndomshjemmet blive rekonstrueret, læse de voksne brødres genkendelse i deres ansigter OG se hvor herligt de tre fremragende skuespillere falder ind og spiller med brødrene i de valgte episoder:

Når Jakob Cedergren kommer hjem som far fra England til mor Asta August, har et skænderi over en regning og bliver tosset over, hvordan Carstens hund Faff er i gang med at molestere hans sko. Carsten er der som barn og som voksen iagttager og kommentator efter scenen. Det er gribende, Carsten er berørt – og instruktøren “tillader” sig en gravsten for Faff, da moren fortæller Carsten, at hunden ikke er der mere.

Komedie og tragedie går hånd i hånd. Som også i scenen hvor Adrian og mor Birthe Neumann (hun er fabelagtig) er i teatret i London og har en diskussion om adgangsforholdene for handicappede til teatrene. Adrian mener ikke handicappede nødvendigvis skal ind ad hovedindgangen med en rollator, mor Jette bliver rasende og kalder Adrian nazist. Klip til Adrian på scenen som nazist. Vidunderligt.

Hun var strid Jette Dreyer og i filmen, som er grundigt researchet, får vi historien om hendes barndom i rige omgivelser, hendes dominerende far Thorvald Dreyer, som Adrian kalder for sociopat, hendes uddannelse som psykolog, klip fra tv med hende som indkaldt ekspert i terapi, og herlige arkivoptagelser fra strand og hav, som giver fortællingen et drev. Og – OMG – hendes aflysning af Michaels bryllup med et pennestrøg, som det formuleres, ikke at forglemme.

For at det ikke skal være løgn, er der også en slåskamp i filmen! Ieuan og far Hywel er de som husker, hvad der skete, da far bryder ind på drengens værelse eller rettere resterne af det efter et mislykket fysikforsøg. En stuntmand er indkaldt for at give råd til, hvordan det kunne have foregået. Den 95-årige rejser sig og foreslår hvordan, og Ieuan erindrer, at der var flere knytnæveslag end Jakob Cedergren og stuntmanden illustrerer. 

Tilbage til yngste søn Philip, som måske er den, som griber mig mest, i scenen, hvor han giver moren et spejl, et whiskyspejl (!), som giver hende et raserianfald af den anden verden. Philip kigger på, men siger at måske gik han hen og gav en undskyldning! 

Og så mødes de alle ved et spisebord med far for bordenden… den dejlige gamle mand som svigtede og som siger – igen i samtalen med Philip, “jeg mistede livet”.

Hvad der så sker, må ses i biografen! 

Forrygende Filmkunst!

Danmark, 95 mins.

Raymond Depardon: Auschwitz-Birkenau

From the website of Memorialdelashoah.org (https://www.memorialdelashoah.org/en/auschwitz-birkenau-vu-par-raymond-depardon.html):

“In 1979, for two weeks, photographer and film director Raymond Depardon took a series of black-and-white photographs on the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau. These images, a commission from the magazine Paris Match, were published just after their production in several international magazines. 

It is an Auschwitz-Birkenau under the snow that Raymond Depardon discovers. The immaculate whiteness of the landscape contrasts with the darkness of the buildings and fences of the camp and the vegetation that emerges there and there. An impression of solitude and geometric immensity emerges, punctuated by elements reminiscent of humans: a prisoner’s dress, a grass, a tree. Not a soul that lives. Covered in powdered white, the camp, and what we know about it, is indeed there, and Raymond Depardon grasps its most significant elements…”

The exhibition in Paris is about to close but I was there today. Three rooms, the images as described above, shocking in its documented simplicity, I watched, got tears in my eyes, thought of the growing anti-semitism of today. Of Alain Resnais’ “Night and Fog”, of Claude Lanzmann’s film.

And – not related to this exhibition – how good it was that Depardon and his wife Claudine Nougaret was awarded at DocsBarcelona for their life long achievement in cinema and photography:

Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret will receive the Honorary DocsBarcelona Award

  

My Name is Orson Welles

… is the name of the excellent exhibition in Cinematheque Francaise in Paris: Film by film examined, posters, documents like scripts, pages from scripts, stills, photos of Orson Welles, clips with him talking about his career, clips from the films – and an excerpt of (taken from Wikipedia): “The War of the Worlds“, a Halloween episode of the radio series The Mercury Theatre on the Air, which was broadcast live at 8 pm ET on October 30, 1938 over the CBS Radio Network. The episode was directed and narrated by Orson Welles as an adaptation of H. G. Wells‘ novel The War of the Worlds and is infamous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was actually taking place.

Orson Welles and “Citizen Kane”, a fiasco when it was premiered, later considered by many film critics and colleagues of Welles as the best film in film history. Gregg Toland’s innovative camera work, Welles formidable acting, the “magnat de la presse” William Hearst and his failed ambition to have the film forbidden (a text in the exhibition compares him to the current President of America!), “Rosebud”…

Orson Welles and “The Lady from Shanghai”, Welles and Rita Hayworth, the mirror scene “reconstructed” at the exhibition, Welles being in constant trouble with the production company, and surveyed for his alleged communist sympathies. Welles with constant financial production problems.

Orson Welles and “The Third Man” from 1949, we all know it, a super-hit, and Welles making the big mistake agreeing to a lump sum fee instead of having percentages of the ticket sales…

Clips, yes, and you want to re-watch his many works, also the Shakespeare films and enjoy the acting when it is at its best. Film is for the actors, he said, the direction is not that important – words to that effect.

I was there with my friend Poul Rude, journalist and film director and film buff, we wanted to smoke a cigar after the visit to the Cinematheque – it had to wait but you should not wait if you are in Paris to go and visit the legendary auteur, adored by Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. It is a visit for hours of joy, information, pleasure, an homage to Cinema!

Photo: Cinematheque Francaise.

DOK Leipzig and Peacemaker

First a copy paste from the press release of DOK Lweipzig: “A successful festival week lies behind us: This year, 53,000 visitors attended the screenings, events, and industry activities. We would like to thank everyone for their interest and for all the wonderful and valuable encounters!

Our Festival Director Christoph Terhechte sums up:

“The fact that so many festivalgoers and accredited guests once again flocked to the cinemas, to DOK Neuland and to the DOK Industry events continues to show how great the demand is for artistic engagement with global political issues and diverse lifestyles,” concludes festival director Christoph Terhechte. “This year, we observed a striking number of film talks in which the audience not only asked questions but also engaged in lengthy and lively discussions about the films. There is a thirst for dialogue held face-to-face – and it remained respectful throughout the festival. This is the approach to discourse we like to see.”

AND then about the winner: “In the International Competition Documentary Film, the Golden Dove Feature-Length Film went to Ivan Ramljak for “Peacemaker” (Mirotvorac | Croatia). This award-winning film looks at the beginnings of the war between Serbia and Croatia and a chief of police in Slavonia, who was determined to mediate between the conflicting parties. “A specific event in a specific region was made into a film of universal importance,” the jury said in its statement. The 10,000-euro Golden Dove is sponsored by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.”

I watched the film, archive-based, a creative documentary, very well told (editor Damir Cucic, know him for many films AND producer Nenad Puhovski, director, producer and founder and director of the Festival ZagrebDox). A strong story indeed from the horrors in Slavonia 1991-95.

The photo shows the car, in which police officer Josip Tvrtko Reihl Kir and colleagues were sitting and shot.

Ji.hlava

Not only it was a comeback for me to Ji.hlava, but it was also a return to good old times. In many ways. A quiet city (or town) with old style shops, different prices than the ones in big cities, wine shops with a handwritten blackboard outside in the street saying merlot, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon etc. And a step back to the seventies with a tent in front of the main cinema with food to buy, I got a nice bowl of curry potato from a young lad who looked like George Harrison in his Indian period.

But Ji.hlva also wanted to be “modern” and the EA Business Hotel, where I stayed was with no atmosphere, no character. Twenty years ago, when the training program Ex Oriente was here, we stayed in a small pension with the local Zoo and a church as neighbours. Cosy, four or five breakfast choices, where the Business hotel had a lot, standard for that kind of hotels. The times they are a changing…

But not the pitching format. As in Copenhagen, at CPH:DOX, the Ji.hlava Forum, where I was one of the jurors, took place in a big hall with a lot of audience, in Copenhagen the Forum is in the Royal Theatre. It was followed, like in Copenhagen and at many other festivals and markets, by individual meetings. The filmmakers I met were happy about the way it was arranged.

Impressed about how many industry guests were in Ji.hlava. And young filmmakers including Emerging Producers. Thank you for the invitation.

DOK Leipzig Awards 2025

The award-winning films of the 68th edition of DOK Leipzig have been announced. The seven Golden and two Silver Doves as well as various Partnership Awards were presented at the Schaubühne Lindenfels in Leipzig on Saturday.

In the International Competition Documentary Film, the Golden Dove Feature-Length Film went to Ivan Ramljak for “Peacemaker” (Mirotvorac | Croatia). This award-winning film looks at the beginnings of the war between Serbia and Croatia and a chief of police in Slavonia who was determined to mediate between the conflicting parties. “A specific event in a specific region was made into a film of universal importance,” the jury said in its statement. The 10,000-euro Golden Dove is sponsored by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. The award was presented by Thomas Beyer, editor in the documentary department at MDR.

The 3,000-euro Golden Dove Short Film went to Matilde-Luna Perotti for “After the Silence” (Después del silencio | Canada), about domestic sexual abuse. “This minimalist approach prioritizes listening to the unspoken, and the difficulty of receiving such a heavy testimony within a family setting,” said the jury.

The films that have earned Golden Doves in the International Competition Documentary Film qualify for nomination for the annual Academy Awards®, provided they meet the Academy’s standards.

The Silver Dove Feature-Length Film, sponsored by 3sat and awarded to the best feature-length documentary film by an emerging director, went to Gregor Brändli for “Elephants & Squirrels” (Switzerland). Sri Lankan artist Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige discovers the collection of one of her country’s indigenous communities in Switzerland and gets involved in its restitution. The jury praised the film “for portraying step by step an ultimately successful struggle”. Markus Dillmann (3sat) presented the 6,000-euro award to the filmmaker.

The 1,500-euro Silver Dove Short Film, sponsored by the independent Saxon State Media Agency (SLM) and awarded to the best short documentary by an emerging director, went to “String Pieces” (Garak | South Korea) by Vatae Kimlee. In this film, a student comes across a recording of a conversation in which her grandparents talk about their past in the South Korean city of Incheon. The jury highlighted the film for “creatively mixing animation and documentary.” The award was presented by Katja Röckel from the SLM’s Media Council.

The winners of the International Competition Documentary Film were selected by Heleen Gerritsen, Alain Kassanda, Annie Ohayon-Dekel, Kazuhiro Soda and Jim Stark.

In the International Competition Animated Film, the 3,000-euro Golden Dove Feature-Length Film went to Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver for “Endless Cookie” (Canada). They visualise their story with originality and a great deal of wit: one of the half-brothers lives in Toronto, the other in Shamattawa, a community of the Indigenous Cree people. “This is a film that draws strength and hope from the chaos of everyday life. A story about filmmaking, intergenerational wisdom and love,” said the jury members Betina Kuntzsch, Aneta Ozorek and Jonatan Schwenk.

The Golden Dove Short Film, which includes 1,500 euros, went to Matea Radic for “Paradaïz”(Canada). In this film, the director looks back on her childhood during the war in Bosnia and on the fond and traumatic memories she associates with that time. “The film stands out for its vulnerability, its imaginative and relatable visuals and the playfulness in its approach. A touching voice given to all who had to leave their home because of war,” the jury said in its statement.

The film that earns the Golden Dove Short Film qualifies for nomination for the annual Academy Awards®, provided it meets the Academy’s standards.

In the German Competition Documentary Film, the Golden Dove Feature-Length Film went to “Active Vocabulary”(Germany) by Yulia Lokshina. Based on a story of a young teacher, Yulia Lokshina’s “Active Vocabulary” examines how the Russian state uses schools to further its own agenda. “With great precision and skill, Yulia Lokshina translates experiences in the struggle for truth into a powerful cinematic language, creating a space that challenges us to resolutely confront our fear of surveillance,” praised the jury. This 10,000-euro award is donated by Doris Apell-Kölmel and Michael Kölmel.

The Golden Dove Short Film, which includes 1,500 euros, went to Jana Rothe for “Boma a Bopa” (Luxembourg, Germany), an observation of everyday life and a journey back in time to the youth of her own grandparents. “Precisely framed, the film documents spaces that point beyond the visible, spaces where time seems to stand still. A film that faces the end of life with great tenderness – poignant, playful, touching,” said jury members Maike Mia Höhne, Gerd Kroske and Ines Weizman.

The short film “Cold Call” (Germany) by Stefanie Schroeder received an honourable mention.

The Golden Dove in the Audience Competition was presented to the documentary film “Cutting Through Rocks” (Uzak yollar | USA, Iran, Germany, Netherlands, Qatar, Chile, Canada) by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni. the protagonist Sara advocates feminist values in her rural community in northwestern Iran and decides to be the first woman in the history of her community to run for the local council. “The film tells Sara’s story from the most intimate and private angles, creating moments of lightness and heaviness, enthusiasm and disappointment showing that ‘unconventional actions have consequences,’ as the protagonist herself puts it,” said the jury members Henry Engelberg, Fine Fritzke, Lara Goldberg, Višnja Jurić-Krappmann and Moritz Mahltig. This 3,000-euro award is granted pro rata by Leipziger Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Filmkunst e. V. and the Leipzig Stiftung.

Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, ten Partnership Awards were presented at the Schaubühne Lindenfels.

Patience Nitumwesiga received the 2,000-euro ver.di Prize for Solidarity, Humanity and Fairness for “The Woman Who Poked the Leopard” (UG, ZA, DE, US). The filmmaker was also awarded the 4,000-euro DEFA Sponsoring Prize granted by the DEFA Foundation.

The 3,000-euro MDR Film Prize for an outstanding eastern European documentary film went to Anastasiya Miroshnichenko for “Welded Together” (FR, NL, BE).

The 2,000-euro Prize of the Interreligious Jury went to Srđan Kovačević for “The Thing to Be Done” (Ono što treba činiti | HR, RS, SI). This award is sponsored by the VCH Hotel Michaelis in Leipzig as well as the Interreligious Round Table and the Oratorium Leipzig. The jury also gave an honourable mention to Jennifer Chiu for “Clan of the Painted Lady”.

The Young Eyes Film Award was presented to “Fantastique” (BE, FR, NL) by Marjolijn Prins. This 2,000-euro award is sponsored by the European Foundation of the Rahn Dittrich Group for Education and Culture and presented by the youth jury in cooperation with LFD – Fachstelle für Medien und Bildung.

The Prize of the International Film Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) went to “The Red Moon Eclipse” (L’éclipse de la lune rouge | BE) by Caroline Guimbal.

The mephisto 97.6 Award went to the short animated film “Once in a Body” (Una vez en un cuerpo | CO, US) by María Cristina Pérez.

For the first time, the jury comprised of prisoners at the Juvenile Detention Centre Regis-Breitlingen presented two awards. The Gedanken-Aufschluss Documentary Film award went to “Sediments” (Sedimente | CH, DE) by Laura Coppens. The Gedanken-Aufschluss Animated Film award went to “Clot” (Klonter | BE) by Levi Stoops.

The film.land.sachsen Prize for Film Culture in Rural Areas, presented in cooperation with the Filmverband Sachsen e.V., went to Karoline Rößler for “Intersection – It’s Political” (Intersection – Alles ist politisch | DE).

The Film Prize Leipziger Ring honours an outstanding documentary film about human rights, democracy or civil engagement. It is granted by the Stiftung Friedliche Revolution and has a value of 2,500 euros. This award was presented to Juan Camilo Cruz for “A Simple Soldier” (UA, US, UK) on Saturday morning at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB).

Photo: Susan Bargas Gomez.

JI.HLAVA IDFF 2025 INDUSTRY AWARDS

Eleven industry awards were presented today to the most promising projects participating in the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum 2025. In total, fifty-five projects from Europe, United States and East & Southeast Asia were presented at the Forum. The projects in development, production and post-production were among those presented. The winners received numerous cash and in-kind awards accorded in cooperation with the partners of Ji.hlava IDFF. See the list of all winners.

The industry jury is composed of Chris White, executive producer at POV & America ReFramed, head of the documentary competition at Sarajevo FF, film curator Rada Šešić and the film consultant and journalist Tue Steen Müller. 

Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2025 for the most promising European project in cooperation with UPP will receive an in-kind grant for visual post-production in the estimated value of 15,000 EUR.

The winner is: Adam’s Tooth

·         Director: Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt

·         Producer: Tekla Machavariani, Mariam Chachia

·         Country: Georgia, United Kingdom

Jury statement: So many of us in different countries are experiencing absurd and cruel political systems infringing on individual liberties and our most basic human rights. With a cinematic lens and a wry humorous tone, this film is emblematic of a “creative resistance” to the institutional injustice of the Georgian nightmare. The Jury is honored to present the New Visions Award for most promising European Project, in cooperation with UPP, to Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt, and Tekla Machavariani of Adam’s Tooth.

Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2025 for the most promising European project in cooperation with Soundsquare will receive sound mixing and a final sound master in the estimated value of 5,000 EUR.

The winner is: Superhumans

·         Director: Inna Shevchenko

·         Producer: Arash T. Riahi

·         Country: Austria

Jury statement: With unobtrusive, yet close and intimate camera work, we enter a world that speaks volumes about injustice and violence. At the same time, this film combines the beauty of life and the challenges of remaking yourself. We were deeply moved by the positive attitude of the protagonists, their strength, and firm hope in tomorrow. Despite the seriousness of the topic, the film keeps a flavor of humor and playfulness. The team convinced us that they seriously work on every detail of the film, from their cinema verite camera style, to a very well worked out plan for how to deal with the sound design and dramaturgy of the whole narrative. The award goes to Superhumans by director Inna Shevchenko and producer Arash T. Riahi.

Ji.hlava New Visions Award 2025 for the most promising U.S. project in partnership with AmDocs will receive 7,000 USD cash award. 

The winner is: Newville

·         Director: Pisie Hochheim, Tony Oswald

·         Producer: Pisie Hochheim, Tony Oswald

·         Country: Switzerland, Uganda, United States

Jury statement: Our histories, our memories, our relationships to those we love are so often rooted in the places we grow up. This film sensitively reveals the cracks in the foundations of, both, a physical home and a very large family, when loved ones move in different directions. The Jury is honored to present the New Visions Award for most promising US Project to Pisie Hochheim and Tony Oswald for their lovely film Newville.

With unobtrusive, yet close and intimate camera work, we enter a world that speaks volumes
about injustice and violence. At the same time, this film combines the beauty of life and the
challenges of remaking yourself. We were deeply moved by the positive attitude of the
protagonists, their strength, and firm hope in tomorrow. Despite the seriousness of the topic, the
film keeps a flavor of humor and playfulness. The team convinced us that they seriously work on
every detail of the film, from their cinema verite camera style, to a very well worked out plan for
how to deal with the sound design and dramaturgy of the whole narrative. The award goes to
Superhumans by director Inna Shevchenko and producer Arash T. Riahi.

AND…

  • CANNES DOCS – MARCHÉ DU FILM AWARD
    ○ Correspondances to inhabit the world
    ▪ Director: Laura Gabay
    ▪ Producer: Vania Jaikin
    ▪ Countries: Uruguay, Switzerland, Spain
  • DAE AWARD
    ○ Laura Zahirah: Just a Regular Muslim
    ▪ Director: Karoliina Lahti
    ▪ Producer: Serj Rimma
    ▪ Countries: Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Finland
  • #DOCS CONNECT TASKOVSKI TRAINING AWARD
    ○ Superhumans
    ▪ Director: Inna Shevchenko
    ▪ Producer: Arash T. Riahi
    ▪ Country: Austria
  • SHEFFIELD DOCFEST NETWORKING AWARD
    ○ The Pylon and Lake
    ▪ Director: Sylvain Yonnet
    ▪ Producers: Cécile Lestrade, Elise Hug
    ▪ Country: France
  • LIGHTDOX AWARD
    ○ Dear You
    ▪ Director: Aurora Brachman
    ▪ Producers: Khaula Malik, Lo Heimer
    ▪ Country: United States
  • DOCS BY THE SEA AWARD
    ○ Drifting by the River Rhythm
    ▪ Director: Polen Ly
    ▪ Producer: Daniel Mattes
    ▪ Country: Cambodia
  • MEDITALENTS RESIDENCY AWARD
    ○ Momtski Kamen – The Girl’s Rock
    ▪ Directors: Maria Sidiropoulou, Chloe Bruhat
    ▪ Producer: Maria Sidiropoulou
    ▪ Country: Greece
  • JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER AWARD
    ○ Newville
    ▪ Directors: Pisie Hochheim, Tony Oswald
    ▪ Producers: Pisie Hochheim, Tony Oswald
    ▪ Countries: United States, Uganda, Switzerland

Ji.hlava FF – Memories

Two days ago our grandchild, who is 14 years of age, came to visit. He was wearing one of the many festival t-shirts that I have passed on to him. One from the Ji.hlava FF. It said 2004 and it made me remember that I came to Ji.hlava every year in the beginning of this century, when the Ex Oriente training session took place here, in the cosy provincial town with an impressive film festival. Now I am back to be a juror for film projects from Europe, the US and Asia. A lot has changed since I was here but the atmosphere is the same when it comes to meeting old and new film friends.

Take a look at the photo from a classical restaurant with classical Czech food, a beer and coffee and a slivovice. Friends from Azerbaijan that I visited in April – Baku, a wonderful experience of advising filmmakers on their projects. Now we met to talk, the man in the middle is Alemdar, who made a fine film with himself and his grandmother as protagonists. And the woman is the very talented Aynur, director and camerawoman, talked a lot with her when in Baku and now again. A pleasure. Also present is the producer of Alemdar’s upcoming film that he is pitching here in Ji.hlava, Sarkhan Jafarly. And the man who took the photo is Matlab Muktharov, director and editor, who has a film in the competition, Short Joy.

The title of the film is “Palaces of Memory”, 23 mins., he gave me a link and I watched it this morning. Here is the synopsis from the catalogue:

“Against the backdrop of his hometown and momentous historical events, the director seeks the answer to a seemingly simple question: What is my very first memory? As the film progresses, the audiovisual topography of memory transforms into a labyrinth where trauma and disappointment may lurk around every corner, and yet we continue to navigate through it. 

“The director, who wants to return to the most interesting period of his childhood, wanders the streets of the city where he was born and raised, to find traces of those years. This trip brings him to the place of his first memory.”

I would add that the film witnesses that Matlab is a Filmmaker with a big F. It is playful, it has a balanced commentary from the maker, it appeals to all of us, what do we remember from early childhood, it takes us back in time and takes us around the city, where he grew up, buildings from Soviet time, cats and dogs – and a wonderful mother, who denies that he can remember back to his first years and helps with some photos, and says “why don’t you make a film about some funny moments”. And a little boy who asks him what and why he is filming and ends up saying that maybe you are filming your dream!?

Lovely meeting and great film!