Jihlava International Documentary FF
… takes place October 24 till October 29, DOKLeipzig starts October 30 and runs until November 5, 10 days later it is IDFA in Amsterdam. It is rather crowded with important documentary festivals within a month, one can say, I have before been able to jump from one to the other, this year I go to Leipzig and Amsterdam.
But let me start by commenting on some of many fine elements of the 21st festival in Jihlava in Czech Republic: 10 competition sections, including ”testimonies” on politics, knowledge and nature. Let me mention one fine title from each – ”Ghost Hunting” by Raed Andoni, ”… when you look away” by Phie Ambo and ”Wilder than Wilderness” by Marián Polák. I saw a clip from Polák’s film in Prague in March, very appealing, here is the synopsis: ”An expedition into the Czech countryside reveals the adventurous stories of plants and animals that take place all around us, and explores fascinating places where nature is returning after being devastated by man. The film, narrated by the filmmaker, captures the true wildness of nature and the course of filming.”
Film history is represented through a retrospective of films by legendary Jean Rouch and I would have loved to be in Jihlava to
salute Marcel Ophuls and re-watch ”Hotel Terminus” (1988), ”Munich or Peace in Our Times” (1967), ”The Memory of Justice” (1976) and ”The Sorrow and the Pity” (1969).
And there are masterclasses with Austrian director Andreas Horvath, who has made a film (PHOTO) on the Visconti-darling, actor Helmut Berger (ahhh, his role as Ludwig!), and with DoxBox Syrian documentarians, now based in Berlin, Diana El Jeiroudi and Orwa Nyrabia within the Ex Oriente training program led by Danish Mikael Opstrup together with Czech Filip Remunda and Ivana Pauerová Miloševićová.
The Institute of Documentary Film (IDF) is behind many of the activities in Jihlava, including the Silver Eye Awards. The nominations have been made for short, mid-length and feature docs. Decisions on the winners will be made in Jihlava. Click on the link below and take a look at the many good films that have been made in Central and Eastern Europe. In the feature section you will find Askold Kurov’s ”The Trial – the State of Russia vs. Oleg Sentsov”, Marcin Borchardt’s Polish archive portrait film ”The Beksinskis” and Glawogger/Willi’s ”Untitled”. To give you the diversity. Jihlava offers again a very rich program to its audience, local and professional visitors.
