DocsBarcelona 2016 Started

… with full house at the Aribau Multicines, the 1100 seats were occupied for the opening ceremony with a couple of rappers, opening speech by festival director Joan González and the screening of ”Sonita” (also a rapper) by Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami, the Iranian director, who was present and could enjoy the many minutes long applause that followed after the screening of the film. Yes, that was the right choice for opening the festival.

During today and tomorrow the industry section of DocsBarcelona takes place with so-called speed-meetings, where projects are presented. 40 projects have been selected to be pitched to around 30 financiers and distributors and sales agents.

This part of DocsBarcelona is taking place for the 19th time, but there was a prologue in 1996, in Granada arranged by EDN (European Documentary Network) and local producer, director, cultural event organiser José Sánchez-Montes. In his opening speech Joan González praised Sánchez-Montes, who has been invited to sit in the jury together with Anita Reher, who with this blogger worked for EDN at this pioneering times and were in Granada, where González pitched for the first time. Sorry for being a bit nostalgic…

Back to DocsBarcelona 2016. I had the privilege to moderate three RoughCut sessions with three female directors: Brazilian Isabella Lima with Mercedes, Italian Laura Cini with Punishment Island and ”Etre et Durer” by Italian Serena Mignani. They came with their material – around one hour for all three – and had creative response – also for one hour – from Joan Salvat Catalan tv, José Rodriguez from Tribeca Film Institute, Gitte Hansen from First Hand Films, local producer Bettina Walter and filmmakers Martin Solá and Daniel Jariod, the latter also one of the festival programmers.

The poster photo is taken from the film by Louie Palu ”Kandahar Journals” that is on the programme of today. As are – among several – ”Shadow Girl” by Maria Teresa Larrain, a world premiere, Veronika Liskova’s ”Daniel’s World” and ”City of Dreams” by Brian Hill. More reporting in the coming days.

http://www.docsbarcelona.com/en/     

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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