Johan Grimonprez: Shadow World /2

(2) FORFATTERE

Jeg er helt tryg ved denne mand. Det er forfatteren Eduardo Galeano (1940-2015), han har på sin reflekterende måde skrevet om politik hele sit liv. Den vældige trilogi Memoria del fuego, 1982-86 (dansk Ildens erindring, 1983-90) er en beundringsværdigt etableret sammenstilling af myter, krøniker og andre tekster om de amerikanske kontinenters historie fra førcolombiansk tid til nu. Herfra kender vi ham. Smukt passet ind i filmens lyddesign læser Galeano her i filmen stykker fra sin sidste bog Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History fra 2015, som vist ikke er oversat endnu. Galeano medvirker selv som stemmen, der læser op og den stemme er i høj grad en medvirkende, et vidne i filmen, og jeg stoler på dens og på poesiens sandhed, som her også er den alvorlige bas af forståelse gennem uhyrlighederne, orgelpunkterne af menneskelig erfaret indsigt på afgørende problemsteder i filmfortællingens linje. Omhyggeligt har Grimonprez og klipperen Per K. Kirkegaard og hans kolleger contrapunktisk, erkendelsesnode for erkendelsesnode, bragt forfatterens sætninger i kontakt med historiske arkivoptagelser, ofte af sindbilledlig natur. Den første tekst, to sætninger i en skabelsesberetning, lyder ”Videnskaben siger at vi er lavet af atomer. Men en lille fugl har fortalt mig, at vi er lavet af historier…”

Filmens historier er herefter den politiske forfatter Andrew Feinsteins, han var engang ANC-medlem i Sydafrikas parlament, men røg uklar med dem og flyttede til England, hvor han grundlagde Corruption Watch UK. Han er våbenindustiekspert, ekspert i korruption og i den globale våbenhandel og han har skrevet bogforlægget til filmen, en journalistisk politisk bog med samme titel som filmens, men i bestemt form med forklarende og præsicerende undertitel: The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade. Den er fra 2011. Det er aldeles utroligt, hvad han fortæller i sin medvirken, men jeg må jo nødvendigvis tro på ham og altså tro det utrolige, og dertil har han været ind over Grimonprez’ manuskript og som produceren skriver ”hjulpet produktionsholdet med de aktuelle emner og historier, der behandles i filmen.” Han har altså ført sine undersøgelser i bogen á jour.

Vi er lavet af historier, siger Eduardo Galeano. I Shadow World er der tre slags fortællinger, der er redegørelser for omfattende længere forløb af konkrethistoriske økonomiske og politiske sammenhænge som BAE-Saudi-Arabien affæren, Iran-Contra affæren, militærkuppet i Chile og El Salvador borgerkrigen præget af voldsom korruption, grusomme forbrydelser og afgørende hemmeligholdelser, der er små anekdotiske belysninger af detaljer og pointer ofte i munter eller satirisk stil som når Margaret Thatcher synger sin version af My Way; og så er der den mellemliggende linje af juxtapositioners filmiske billede-, lyd-, dialogkunst i og Chris Markers og Jean Luc Godards tradition og ånd, som Grimonprez og Kirkegaard effektivt bruger som mørtel i deres filmessays arkitektur. Klippet stiller hele vejen sindrigt ved disse detaljer med juxtapositioneringernes forslag til til nødvendige associationer og irrationelle tankespring store både rimelige og nødvendige krav til os.

Montagen tilstræber tillige at vi som publikum faktisk mister overblikket over historierne. Den giver i stedet for plads til vore egne tanker, men i så nøje afmålt kort tid, at jeg ikke kan nå at tænke efter, men må overgive mig til ét eneste totalbillede af en anden verden ved siden af den jeg kender. Jeg vidste godt den verden var til, men fortrængte den viden. Nu ved jeg det fuld af angst igen, og Grimonprez har tillidsfuldt overladt eftertanken og det nødvendige tjek af sine facts til mig. Filmen er af den særlige art og klasse, som indebærer, at vi nu må i gang med at læse artiklerne og bøgerne… Men se nu først den foruroligende film på DR2 I MORGEN tirsdag 15. november 20:45!

SYNOPSIS

Directed by Johan Grimonprez (“Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y”) and in part based on Corruption Watch UK founder Andrew Feinstein’s globally acclaimed book The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, the film reveals how the international trade in weapons – with the complicity of governments and intelligence agencies, investigative and prosecutorial bodies, weapons manufacturers, dealers and agents – fosters corruption, determines economic and foreign policies, undermines democracy and creates widespread suffering. The film unravels a number of the world’s largest and most corrupt arms deals through those involved in perpetrating and investigating them. It illustrates why this trade accounts for almost 40% of all corruption in global trade, and how it operates in a parallel legal universe, in which the national security elite who drive it are seldom prosecuted for their often illegal actions. Shadow Worldposits alternatives through the experience of a peace activist and war correspondent, as well as through the voice of Eduardo Galeano who contributed selections from his stories for the film.

Ultimately Shadow World reveals the real costs of war, the way the arms trade drives it, how weapons of war are turned against citizens of liberal democracies and how the trade decreases rather than enhances security for us all. In shedding light on how our realities are being constructed, the film offers a way for audiences to see through this horror, in the hopes of creating a better future. (Final Cut for real)

Johan Grimonprez: Shadow World, Belgien / USA / Danmark, 2016. 94 min. Filmkommentarens vurdering: 6/6, seks af seks pennespidser.

http://www.finalcutforreal.dk/shadow-world 

Zelig – First Year

There they were, 30 new faces at the Zelig film school, and I was to be the first teacher of their three year long education at the school for ”documentary, television and new media”. Thank you Emanuele Vernillo and Heidi Gronauer for your trust in me to give the students inspiration to watch films, read books and study painters and photographers, who know about composition and use of light and shadow.

I had four days to motivate the students and to make them talk. About themselves and about what they saw. It was forbidden to say ”I like” or ”I don’t like”. We were looking for descriptions, impressions, analysis. They did so very well.

”My” film menu included Robert Frank, Wojciech Staron, Sylvain Biegeleisen, Herz Frank, Jon Bang Carlsen, Jørgen Leth, Viktor Kossakovsky, Piotr Stasik, Michael Glawogger… and a bombardment of other names and titles they should study. Auteur documentaries – and the youngest student of them all, 19 years old, knew where that term comes from.

And a game at the end: form groups of three, you have two hours to find a topic, put the proposal down on paper and pitch it to your colleagues and me the next day. They did so and the teacher was impressed. Themes: dreams, a monument in Bolzano, a tour with the cable car up to Ober Bozen, rituals, public transport when the cable car is out for inspection, grafitti artists, Schüttelbrot, a toxic mushroom, a vegan chef. One team – the one with the monument – even managed to make a two minute teaser for the presentation. I ran into them in the evening and took the picture.

http://www.zeligfilm.it/en/

Johan Grimonprez: Shadow World /1

1 VIDNER

Jeg vælger at tro, at denne mand er troværdigheden selv. Han hedder Chris Hedges, han har været krigskorrespondent for The New York Times, han er forfatter, hans seneste bog er Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt, 2015 og han arbejder nu tillige som præst. Han arbejdede tidligere gennem et par årtier uafbrudt som udenlandsk korrespondent i Mellemamerika, Mellemøsten, Afrika og på Balkan, han skrev fra mere end halvtreds lande for The Christian Science Monitor, NPR, Dallas Morning News og The New York Times, hvor han var udenrigskorrespondent i i årene1990 -2005. I 2002 var Hedges del af en gruppe på otte journalister på The New York Times som blev tildelt Pulitzerprisen for avisens dækning af den globale terrorisme.

Chris Hedges er et af de medvirkende vidner (som jeg én for én også vælger at tro på, især er det vigtigt at tro på våbenhandleren, hans nonchelant underholdende praleri er blot et nervøst træk ved ham, som de øvrige vidner er han sagkyndig), Hedges er altså medvirkende vidne i Shadow World, en krævende og foruroligende film, som bearbejder også mine pinlige historiske forglemmelser og flig for flig løfter dækket af også mine fortrængninger af bestemte historiske kendsgerninger.

Johan Grimonprez, som nok især huskes for Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-I-Y, 1997 om flykapringernes historie skildret på arkivmatriale fra de populære tv-stastioner sat i ramme af en personligt reflekterende filmkonstruktion, har tilsvarende lavet Shadow World om det militært-industrielle kompleks’ halvt- eller helt ubelyste, men sandt at sige angstprovokerende historie. Det er sket i samarbejde med blandt andre produktionsselskabet Final Cut for Real, København, og filmen får biografpremiere i Grand Teater i København nu på søndag 13. november og tv-premiere på DR2 15. november.

Til københavnerne: Gå i biografen på søndag og se den film! Og til alle danskere: se den på DR2 på tirsdag! Jeg kan kun anbefale sådan en nødvendigt rystende ophobning af bitre facts i et klogt og roligt forfærdende filmessays form…

SYNOPSIS

SHADOW WORLD afslører virkeligheden bag den globale våbenhandel – en branche, som tæller sin profit i milliarder og sine tab i menneskeliv. Gennem interviews med whistleblowers, efterforskere, anklagere samt insidere fra både militæret og militærindustrien, viser SHADOW WORLD hvordan våbenhandlen, med vores politiske ledere som villige mellemmænd, er drivkraften bag krig.

Resultatet er en verden hvor det politiske demokrati korrumperes i jagten på en fed kommission, og hvor synet af en klar, blå himmel for nogle ikke længere er fredfyldt: Det er optimale omstændigheder for tilbagevendende bombende droner.

SHADOW WORLD giver publikum en mulighed for at gennemskue de skjulte dagsordener bag enhver krig, i håbet om en sikrere fremtid. (Final Cut for real)

SYNOPSIS ENGLISH

Directed by Johan Grimonprez (“Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y”) and in part based on Corruption Watch UK founder Andrew Feinstein’s globally acclaimed book The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, the film reveals how the international trade in weapons – with the complicity of governments and intelligence agencies, investigative and prosecutorial bodies, weapons manufacturers, dealers and agents – fosters corruption, determines economic and foreign policies, undermines democracy and creates widespread suffering. The film unravels a number of the world’s largest and most corrupt arms deals through those involved in perpetrating and investigating them. It illustrates why this trade accounts for almost 40% of all corruption in global trade, and how it operates in a parallel legal universe, in which the national security elite who drive it are seldom prosecuted for their often illegal actions. Shadow World posits alternatives through the experience of a peace activist and war correspondent, as well as through the voice of Eduardo Galeano who contributed selections from his stories for the film.

Ultimately Shadow World reveals the real costs of war, the way the arms trade drives it, how weapons of war are turned against citizens of liberal democracies and how the trade decreases rather than enhances security for us all. In shedding light on how our realities are being constructed, the film offers a way for audiences to see through this horror, in the hopes of creating a better future. (Final Cut for real)

Johan Grimonprez: Shadow World, Belgien / USA / Danmark, 2016. 94 min. Vurdering: 6/6, seks af seks pennespidser. 

http://www.finalcutforreal.dk/shadow-world

Ukrainian Sheriffs in Copenhagen

… as documentary of the month of the Danish Cinemateket, running for a week with the start of November 11. This wonderful, charming, funny and – it takes place in Ukraine – serious film won the IDFA Jury Special Prize last year and is now Ukraine’s contribution to the Oscar race. The filmmakers are on their way to Los Angeles to promote their work. The following is a copy-paste of a text I wrote a year ago:

I have had the pleasure to follow from the sideline how Ukrainian filmmakers and friends Dar’ya Averchenko (DA), Roman Bondarchuk (RB) together with Latvian producer and friend Uldis Cekulis have developed their “Ukrainian Sheriffs” that will have its premiere at IDFA on this coming Friday, competing in the main feature duration competition.

At DOK Leipzig 2015 I met them and their wonderful little girl Agata. And we had a conversation of one hour that is now in an edited version to read on the website of the film. Here is a tiny clip that also demonstrates that a romantic date can become much more in real life, a marriage and a film!

“RB: It was during one of our dates – Dasha and me – that we met each other. I took a car, we went for some driving around Kherson. There was a huge sign on the road like “Georgievska church, 19-th century, fortress, Cossacks graves” and we were interested to find them. They were touristic signs.

TSM: How many years ago?

DA: It was late 90’es.

RB: No! (Roma says) Really?

TSM: And you were not a couple at that time?

RB: No, it was just one of our first dates… and we turned to the road to nowhere, looking for all these attractions. We couldn’t find anything, so we stopped on the road to ask the way. That’s how we met a local man, a teacher of history.”

This teacher of history became the mayor of Stara Zburjivka and is one of three main characters of the film. Check the website and read the whole interview. And see the film!

www.ukrainiansheriffs.com

Michael Kirk: The Choice 2016

DR2 sender i aften denne helt nye gedigne tv-dokumentar, en dobbeltbiografi over Hillary Clinton og Donald Trump, deres levnedsløb fra barndommen til nu i præcise kapitler skiftevis vekslende mellem de to. Dokumentaren er i den næsten altid foretrukne amerikanske stil bygget af et voldsomt stort og her i landet for en stor dels vedkommende nok ukendt arkivmateriale kombineret med nye interviews med Clintons og Trumps venner og kolleger samt forfattere til bøger om dem og iagttagere af deres karrierer fra aviser og tv-stationer.

Indholdet er seriøst, koncentreret, ærligt og klart, og der er selvfølgelig en del vægt på det underholdende sladderstof, de spændende skandaleforløb spredt i to parallelt psykologiserende familiehistorier begge begyndende med brutale og dominerende fædre. Alt i overensstemmelse med denne særlige tv-tradition for biografi.

Den meget erfarne tv-journalist Michael Kirk holder imidlertid alt i stramme tøjler, så de 100 tv-minutter fremstår som et aldeles voksent og faktisk interessant resumé over dagens to nok vigtigste politikerbiografier, en tillidvækkende sammenfatning, som jeg må anbefale. Mens vi venter på resultatet.

USA 2016, 100 min. Produktion: Frontline, WGBH/Boston i samarbjde med Kirk Documentary Group. Sendes I AFTEN 8. november 20:45 på DR2 og kan derefter ses på DR TV.

Christoffer Dreyer: Den sidste tid

Hans Lauridsen sidder i nervøs venten. Han har inviteret til foredrag i et forsamlingshus i Ribe. To timer med pause. Han vil fortælle om alle de tegn i tiden nu, som viser hen mod, at den sidste tid, at dommedag er nær. Man sidder på det her sted i filmen i nervøs venten med ham, der kommer da ikke nogen til det foredrag? Man har jo fulgt forberedelserne, rystet lidt på hovedet af hans plan, ingen går da til foredrag om sådan noget uden foredragsholderen er et navn.

Men jeg tager fejl, tager fejl af den særlige styrke i foredraget som form, tager fejl af styrken i den særlige ældre folkelighed, tager fejl af Ribe og foredragskulturen der. Og måske er Hans Lauridsen og hans kone Ester navne der i byen, selv om de, som de har fortalt tidligere i deres optagethed af deres oplysningskampagne med at forberede menneskene på Jordens undergang, har mistet næsten alle deres venner.

Imidlertid er foredraget omhyggeligt forberedt, det har Christoffer Dreyers film film gjort mig til vidne på. Og lidt efter lidt kommer folk, hjemmevante foredragsbrugere, lyttende og interesserede og spørgende ind til detaljer og Hans Lauridsen svarer og de nikker og accepterer det han siger og de accepterer ham og de vil komme igen hvis han vil lave en fortsættelse.

Christoffer Dreyer har tidligere lavet en film om byen Gedsers diskrete kultur (En detektiv i provinsen, 2012), han er opmærksom på detaljerne sådanne steder, og som foredraget er omhyggeligt tilrettelagt, er hans film omhyggeligt konstrueret i enhver detalje. Hans arbejde er respektfuldt inspireret og påvirket af de to medvirkendes velordnede research og formidling, ligesom han også ved venlige og diskrete referencer vedkender sig sin afhængighed af filmhistoriens og filmæstetikkens arv, her især oplagt i Jon Bang Carlsens vestjyske landskab, sprog og tanke. Hans og Esther Lauridsens tillid til Gud er skildret grundfæstet som Jennys er det i Bang Carlsens film: ”Det er fredag den anden januar 1977, og jeg føler mig sund og rask… Der er sket meget i min tid…” Og Jenny sammenligner sit liv med den nye usikkerhed. Hun er i det moderne: ”I et kontrolrum et sted i USA, har jeg læst, er der altid to til stede. Hvis den ene skulle bryde sammen og ville trykke på knappen, skal den anden kunne gribe ind. Sådan også på Cheminova, vores kemifabrik. Der er der også to, skulle den ene falde i søvn. For mennesket må selv tage ansvar og ikke give Gud skylden for ulykkerne, det selv har skabt grundlaget for.”

Ingmar Bergmans fisker Jonas Persson i Nadvergæsterne (1961) kan i sin paniske angst ikke selv tale om den. Fru Persson må gøre det, hun opsøger præsten i sakristiet i kirken og siger under samtalen: ”Det begyndte i foråret. Jonas havde læst i en avis om kineserne… Der stod i den artikel, at det er et spørgsmål om tid, hvornår kineserne har atombomben. De har ingenting at tabe. Sådan stod der. Jeg er ikke bange. Det er vel bare, fordi jeg ikke har så meget fantasi. Men Jonas tænker altid. Og vi vender og drejer det. Selv om jeg ikke kan være til så megen hjælp…”

Tilsvarende kæmper Hans og Ester Lauridsen med en angst, men hvad fiskeren ikke kan og præsten slet ikke hjælpe ham med, det kan de to. De tager opgaven på sig. Ved bøn ja, men derefter bestemt også ved nøje gennemtænkte handlinger. De forbereder sig, og når de viser vær-beredt-rygsækkene med alt både simpelt og sindrigt overlevelsesudstyr frem, er de for mig at se tillige tydeligt i slægt med en bestemt af de eventyrligt rejsende tænkere af den praktiske fremskredne sekulære vildmarksskole, som Werner Herzog møder ved verdens ende i Antarktis og får hans flugt-rygsæks indhold bredt ud for kameraet.

Endelig da Esther og Hans sidder i deres hus i Ribe under århundredets storm i december 2013, filmer Christoffer Dreyer i en vidunderligt fint distanceret scene Hans’ målbevidste arbejde med at afstive sit stakit omkring parcellen som var det Don Quijotes kamp mod vejrmøllerne, og instruktøren får med denne blide reference til verdenslitteraturen sin film forbundet med menneskets universielle angsthåndteringer al tid.

Dreyer begynder sin film midt i en optagelse med Esther bag kameraet, en optagelse af Hans’ foredrag til en af deres talrige film om den sidste tid, hvor han på YouTube fremlægger sine og Esthers bibelstudier sammenholdt med klimasituationen og vist nok også andre trusler mod livet på kloden. Man får aldrig rigtigt indblik i det, for det er selvfølgelig ikke Dreyers ærinde, selv om hans film og deres film har samme titel. Dreyer skildrer stilsikkert deres filmoptagelse som alvorligt dilettant i forsamlingshuset. Hans Lauridsen overspiller i nervøs iver sin rolle ubehageligt, men kort efter afløses den instruerede scene af interview som voiceover til billedet og det dæmper det opskruede, og når interviewets billede klippes med, begynder man at lære Hans og Esther at kende som stilfærdige og ganske almindeligt ræsonnerende i deres engagement.

Deres åndelige baggrund antydes ved et besøg på galleri i indre missionsk regi for religiøs kunst, men det slås i dialogen udtrykkeligt fast at de to ikke tilhører noget trossamfund. Imidlertid bliver de ved forslag fra tilhørerne ved foredraget fristet af tanken om en lille menighed. Og snart er en bibellæsekreds i gang i deres stue.

Men Dreyer og hans klippere sætter nu stille og roligt en anden og en tredje udvikling ind i fortællingen. Først er der Esters helbred, hendes dårlige ryg og polio senvirkningerne, så ser man at Hans bruger kontorstol ved køkkenbordet, han har for lavt blodtryk og svimmelhedsanfald. Han klarer dog alene foredrag nummer to, Esther må blive hjemme, men han gennemfører og sikrer endnu en succes. Dernæst er der deres kærligheds udvikling i ømhed så diskret fortalt som i en kort fin scene uden dialog, kun musikken og lyddesignet så omhyggeligt som resten i konstruktionen.

De havde planlagt deres guldbryllup, men de må aflyse gildet, og den i filmens forløb efterhånden ganske afdæmpede og på anden måde indsigtsfuldt afklarede Hans indser filmtitlens dobbelthed, de to slags afslutninger, to sæt sidste tider. Det lave blodtryk, de fire indlæggelser på en måned, Ester alene hjemme begynder i interviewet at tale om Hans i datid. Men guldbryllup for de to bliver det dog til derude ved havet.

Det bedste ved Christoffer Dreyers film er genkendeligheden, dens aldeles indforståede iagttagelse af de to ægtefæller, deres liv og tanker, deres arbejde i mange detaljer, deres kærlighed i sarte nuancer og så først og fremmest en sjælden, men selvfølgelig og naturlig ægte empati uden nysgerrighed og med ligeværdighed i sagkundskab: Esther og Hans, I laver filmens åbning, jeg og holdet laver så resten sammen med jer, vi fordeler rollerne mellem os, den her film er holdarbejde, Den sidste tid er en sikkert gennemført filmovervejelse af enhvers tanker om afslutningen. Afslutningen for sig selv, afslutningen for vores kultur.

Christoffer Dreyer: Den sidste tid, Danmark 2016, 73 min. Premiere for DOXBIO i en række biografer 16. november:

http://www.doxbio.dk/kob-billet/ (biografer og tidspunkter)

http://www.doxbio.dk/movie-archive/den-sidste-tid/ (om filmen)

SYNOPSIS

Esther og Hans elsker livet og hinanden. De har tilbragt næsten hver en vågen time sammen og som mange andre ægtepar, glæder de sig til deres guldbryllup. Det særlige er, at lige netop dette par samtidig håber, at de aldrig kommer til at opleve det. Esther og Hans er nemlig danske ”preppers” og forbereder sig på dommedag med lige dele frygt og længsel. Siden 1972 har de brugt al disponibel tid på at studere biblen i forhold til begivenheder, der er sket i verden omkring dem – og svaret er entydigt: Jorden kan gå under hvert øjeblik, det skal være. De har rygsækken pakket og klar, så de kan overleve i de svenske skove, når ragnarok kommer, men nu har de ventet i 40 år, og da Hans bliver alvorligt syg, må de se i øjnene, at det ikke er jordens sidste tid, de står overfor, men deres egen. (Filmens pressemateriale)

CREDITS

Foto: Christoffer Dreyer og Matthias Nyholm Schmidt. Medvirkende: Esther og Hans Lauridsen. Klip: Christian Einshøj, Thomas Papapenos og Morten Giese samt Pernille Bech som konsulent. Illustration: Kristian Eskild Jensen og Simon Bang. Musik: Martin Pedersen. Produktion: Jesper Jack, House of Real.

The Leth Legacy at DOKLeipzig

It was the idea of festival director Leena Pasanen: What about bringing together Danish filmmaking icon Jørgen Leth and his two filmmaking children Karoline Leth and Asger Leth? Such an obvious idea, why had noone done that before? Two generations, what have the children taken from their famous father? Let them sit on the stage together, each of them showing clips to have them discuss with or oppose each other. Pasanen, as moderator, was the one to set up the rules. Some had already been agreed upon: 3 clips per person, maximum 3 minutes. I think was the agreement.

First headline given by the moderator was ”method” and first clip

was actually not a clip but one part of Leth and von Trier’s ”Five Obstructions”, the one where Trier sends Leth to Cuba to make a version of ”The Perfect Human”. 16 frames was the rule – for a man, who loves long shots. As said the father Jørgen Leth, ”well, now I have already broken the rules” of short clips, leaving the children to say nothing but that they loved it. It was said that Asger was in Cuba to work with his father on that film.

Impossible to report in a classical manner, I will give you some quotes that can tell a bit about the individualities/personalities on stage.

Karoline, who is a producer at DR, Danish public broadcaster, standing behind the enormously popular drama series ”The Legacy”, ”I love to be the boss and have a big team”, Asger, who has made the amazing documentary ”Ghosts of Cité Soleil” from Haiti (must mention that this was the second post we brought at filmkommentaren, a review by Allan Berg), ”I’m on the same side as my father – where Karoline is the producer… I like so much what he has said: A small budget is not a problem but an inspiration”.

Talking about rules, ”the first one is the creative one”, said Asger, ”you have to find rules that are your own”.

Karoline: ”I am often breaking the rules by using documentary editors for the drama series that I am doing, I think they can see where the drama is very quickly”.

Asger: ”With my Haiti-film I wanted to break down stereotypes and reach out for a broader audience, so with the Haiti-film I brought some feature elements into the documentary film.” Which he also showed brilliantly in a promo he had done for Doctors Without Borders.

Karoline brought an almost Bergmanian scene from ”The Legacy”, where a brother is close to strangulate his sister when they are in Thailand trying to get the little brother out of the prison. OMG how strong it is as is the scene from ”66 Scenes from America”, where Andy Warhol eats a hamburger. ”It’s all about characters”, said Karoline after that clip.

At the second hour of the ”The Leth Legacy”, moderator Pasanen asked the children if they had ever been disappointed with their father’s film. Asger: ”I think ”The Erotic Human” is a lazy film”, I hated it”, ”I agree”, said Karoline and it was visible when Jørgen  said ”I hate criticism, especially from my children”.

Asger: ”My father is an icon and there are so many yes-people around all the time. Therefore it is the family’s duty to be the in-house jury!”

We loved that new term, inhouse-jury, and enjoyed to be in company with the Leth family.

DOK Leipzig Winners 2016

I liked the award ceremony of DOK Leipzig last night at the CinéStar 4. Instead of hiring some entertainer, or having two people talking to each other trying to be funny, the festival had a host, Jörg Taszmann, film journalist from Berlin, on stage who conducted the prizegiving in a very calm and professional way, speaking perfectly German and English and French. What I also appreciated was to have the juries on stage giving their motivation in English and German, often helped by the host. As before the best jury in terms of performance was the Youth Jury, who had made special prize to “their” winner, Polish “Communion”.

A total of 21 prizes were awarded, including 7 Golden Doves and 2 Silver Doves. With 77,000 euros in prize money, DOK Leipzig is the best-endowed documentary film festival in Germany. The ceremony took a bit more than two hours with announcements, thank you speeches and for some of the films clips. Festival director Leena Pasanen was pleased about that reduction in time and can be happy with the many compliments she and programming director Grit Lemche got through the evening. Well deserved.

And the winner of the Golden Dove was – no surprise for me, see previous post – Sergey Loznitsa with his ”Austerlitz”. Danish documentary icon Jørgen Leth handed the award to Loznitsa with these words:

””Austerlitz” is a magnificent filmic essay about a walk in the wellkept sets of the most horrible acts of the concentration camp genocide. Loznitsa is working with light and shadow, as he is relentlessly observing large groups of visitors. The calm and beauty of his images and the remarkable soundediting leaves lots of space for thinking one more time about what happened not so long ago in the middle of Europe. The film is sophisticated, almost playful in the way it deals with inside and outside and its very consequential framing of people and objects.”

Silver Dove went to Heidi Specogna for her ”Cahier Africain” and there was a honorary mention to Andreas Dalsgaard and Obaidah Zytoon for ”The War Show”.

Another film from ”my list”, ”A Young Girl in her Nineties”, by French Yann Coridian and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, was the one the film critics from the Fipresci found the best, and happy I was when Russian Marina Razbezhkina chose Georgian ”Listen to the Silence” by Mariam Chachia as the best film in the Next Master’s section. Georgian documentary is at its best these years.

Equally happy I was to see the MDR Prize go to Russian Tatayna Chistova for her ”Convictions” that was pitched at Baltic Sea Forum 2015. Will watch the film asap.

For the German competition I can not say anything yet, will see some of the films later on, definitely ”To be a Teacher” by Jakob Schmidt, who was on stage 4 times to receive an award. Overwhelming for the young man and entertaining for us in the audience.

You can find all awards mentioned on

http://www.dok-leipzig.de/en/festival/wettbewerbe/preistraeger 

Awards According to Filmkommentaren

This is written four hours before the official award ceremony of the 59th (!) International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, DOKLeipzig. I have no idea of what the jury for the international competition will choose as their favourite(s) – i.e. who will receive the prestigious Golden Dove that Wojciech Staron gor last year for his ”Brothers”.

But I have seen all twelve films in that competition category and will bring my impressions and favourites from a selection I have found a good mix of auteur and issue documentaries.

If I was to give an award for the film that made me think, made me irritated because of its constant insisting on the aesthetics – beautiful framing of black & white camera work, loong shots – and a superb sound score, that as the film passer before my eyes and ears became almost physical, the winner would be Sergey Loznitsa with his ”Austerlitz” (photo), that has me watch summer dressed tourists visit concentration camp turned into museums.

If I was to give an award for the film that made the biggest

emotional impact on me with its amazingly done montage and camera work, conveying a deep respect for children who are, as says the catalogue, labelled as ”autistic”, it would go to Miroslav Janek, who describes the creative skills of five children.

If I was to give an award to the most interesting personal film in a political current context, it should go to Vitaly Mansky, who with ”Rodnye” (Close Relations”) visits his family in Lviv, Odessa, Sevastopol – he himself lives now in Riga as he is a persona non grata film-wise in Russia. An interesting insight to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. It’s a very down-to-earth interesting road movie, that Mansky has made, his best film in many years.

These are my three favourites but let me mention four more of high or good quality: The surprise being the Croatian ”Dum Spiro Spero” by author Pero Kvesic, a man who suffers behind the camera from reduced lung capacity. It’s a wonderful simple film, it has a tone, he talks so well behind the camera going around in his house, where wife and sister-in-law and son do also live, not to forget the two dogs. One could hope for one of the many awards be given to this film, produced by Nenad Puhovsky.

Also Ukrainian Serhiy Buhovsky has made a personal film with himself behind the camera and his mother in front. ”Imagine this is a feature film, not a documentary, you play an actress”, son says to mother. She was an actress when younger, there are beautiful clips from films with her and quotes from calendars, where she is giving the son advice on what to eat when he comes home – she was always working. Behind it all, however, stands the deceased father, also a filmmaker. The film, ”The Leading Role”, has its charm and is unpretentious as the mentioned Croatian autobiography is. In this one son and mother also try to realise one of the father’s scripts, if I got it right.

”The War Show”, praised by colleague Allan Berg, in Danish, on filmkommentaren, is also in the international competition. The film by Andreas Dalsgaard and Obaidah Zytoon, is going to festivals all over, fair enough, definitely international quality, even if I do not fully share the enthusiasm that meets it.

The same can be said about the French ”A Young Girl in her Nineties” by Yann Coridian and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi that is shot in a geriatric centre where Alzheimer patients live. A charming and clever choreographer does dance workshops there and you see how his presence and dancing does well to Blanche Moreau, 92 years old woman. But his intervention with other patients is also caught by the camera. The film has great moments.

I have mentioned 7 out of 12 films, nothing wrong with the remaining 5, they are just not award candidates, I think.

Tomorrow you will get the official juries verdict from this very nice festival.

Mariam Chachia: Listen to the Silence

Just left – with a smile on my face – the screening of the Georgian documentary in a full house cinema at DOKLeipzig. The film that is a debut for the director and takes part in the ”Next Masters Competition” is an impressive work by the director and her producer Nik Voigt. It has a wonderful 9 year old boy as the main character. He is deaf, lives in a public school with other deaf kids, that is his world, and this is where his parents come to see him for a very short time before they want to go home again.

Luka is his name and he is a wild boy, who fights with other boys and has big problems in sitting still. His luck is that he has a talent for dancing, that he likes that discipline, that the teacher likes him – at least for a period before Lukas gives up on that.

The director, we were told at the Q&A after the screening, stayed at the school for a year – it is a banality to say that time is crucial for an observational documentary like this, where you see the boy caught in many situations and where the film ”allows” itself to put it all into a chaptered fairy tale frame, because the tone of the film is warm and full of love towards the characters. The long shooting period has also given these documentary film magical moments that you can not foresee will come – and the chance for the film to establish a small love story, a b/w sequence where Luka is dreaming about the sweet girl that he has danced with. The sound work of the film is fascinating playing respectively with no sound and a lot of sound for us spectators to hear and sense the place.

Mariam Chachia and Nik Voigt expressed the hope that the film can be seen around Georgia to create awareness in the society about the conditions deaf kids grow up being hidden away… I met the two earlier this year in Riga where they pitched a new project from a hospital for patients with tuberculosis. I have no doubt after ”Listen to the Silence” that another fine film will appear from their hands.