Danske Dokumentarfilm 2016

Still: Andreas Dalsgaard og Obaidah Zytoon: ”The War Show”

 

Sine Skibsholt: ”Dem vi var”

Dem vi var er som socialrealistisk skildring i min læsning mere end en særlig fortælling om en hjerneskades indvirkning på et kærlighedsforhold, den er som en første begyndelse til en meget nutidig filmisk undersøgelse af ægteskabets, samlivets, forelskelsens, erotikkens, altså kærlighedens almindelige forvandlingsformer i moderne tid. Sådan tager jeg den i hvert fald til mig, og det gør ondt at se den film…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3755/

Christoffer Dreyer: ”Den sidste tid”

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…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3740/

Andreas Dalsgaard og Obaidah Zytoon: ”The War Show” (FOTO)

Instruktørernes og klipperens klare, dybt gribende og beslutsomme greb om dette meget store og voldsomme materiale samlet over fire, fem år hæver det ud af øjeblikkenes journalistiske reportage og formidling, som det oprindeligt så ivrigt blev skabt i, og placerer det eftertænksomt i en universel, men klart nutidig episk omverdenstolkning i Homers, i Tolstojs krig og fred – tradition. The War Show er som jeg ser det netop så stor filmkunst. Den er fra nu et uundværligt og uforgængeligt værk om Syriens håb og tragedie i begyndelsen af det 21. århundrede…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3727/

Max Kestner: ”Amateurs in Space”

Her i Amateurs in Space gælder ambitionen plottets eventyrlighed, handlingskonstruktionens elementære og forrygende spænding gennem vanskelighederne til stjernestunderne, som hvor motoren i sin prøveopstilling virker med overbevisende kraft, hvor faldskærmen omsider blidt folder sig ud i kastet fra den højeste kran i byen. Det gælder komedieelementernes docering og placering og det gælder den skarpsindige udvikling af de to personer, et mimesis skabende menneske ved siden af et poiesis skabende menneske som metafor for en splittelse i enhver kunstners sind. Non est ad astra mollis e terris via…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3731/

Nagieb Khaja: ”De hvide hjelme i Aleppo”

Det er en god film. Ærligt, reelt, uden at lægge til og uden at trække fra, tror jeg, rapporterer Nagieb Khaja som han har vænnet os til gennem sine tidligere dokumentarer, sine mange artikler og utallige Facebookopslag med iagtagelser fra rejserne, som han har foretaget modigt og erfarent. Han og hans dokumentar er i sit sprog præget af redningsfolkenes sande rolige enkle folkelighed, her er hverken følelser eller synspunkter eller situationsbedømmelse ude af kontrol. Ikke et øjeblik…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3724/

Niels-Ole Rasmussen: ”Jacob Holdt”

Tv-dokumentaræstetik, ugebladsæstetik, folkelig æstetik. Problemet med den folkelige fortællemåde er at når den havner i en ikke folkelig fortællers virksomhed, så bliver den uvægerlig påtaget, beregnende og kommer til at tale nedad, og det skinner ubehageligt igennem visse af hvad jeg på den måde tror er Niels-Ole Rasmussens dispositioner, valg og fravalg, men det sker derimod aldrig for Jacob Holdt selv; han er i sin kunst den egentlige folkelige fortællings håndværker…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3704/

Eva Tind: ”En rød løber for Asta Nielsen”

Filmen er altså ikke en fortælling om Asta Nielsen. Den er en skildring af et beundrende kærtegn, som mærkes som en fryd når Eva Tind forsigtig vender siderne i et fotoalbum og i en udklipsbog og på samme måde scene for scene viser billeder fra sine rejser, viser filmbilleder af hvad hun har fundet i stilfærdigt ventende samlinger og hos levende mennesker om den store skuespillers liv og værk og bærer det op ad løberen. Forestillingen er igen i gang, og løberen ruller hun så sammen til en kunstig blomst i sin favn…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3665/

Torben Skjødt Jensen: ”La Merda”

Så herligt dobbelt er La Merda i Torben Skjødt Jensens hænder en dokumentarfilm om en skuespiller på arbejde, hvor hun fremstiller et menneske som gerne vil være skuespiller, den er en skildring af skuespillets drivkraft, baggrund, og talent. Altså endnu en film om scenekunstens væsen, men den er alligevel uundværlig som den nu eksisterer som et værk med overvældende mange nye nuancer, hele serier af pludselige og uvante forståelser…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3582/

Nicole N. Horanyi: ”Motley’s Law”

Jeg vil imidlertid meget anbefale filmen for dens vigtige og gode filmscener som i min læsning absolut også er dens kerne, Horanyis værks kerne, filmscener som skildrer en lov- og retspraksis i grænseområdet mellem den afghanske sharia og Kimberley Motleys amerikanske / vesteuropæiske uddannelse og menneskelige holdning. Dertil kommer Henrik Bohn Ipsens opmærksomt iagttagende kamera i disse scener sat i en smuk ramme af en næsten selvstændig klassisk fotografisk skildring af det omgivende landskab, samfund og dets mennesker i store berettende totaler…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3547/

Torben Skjødt Jensen: ”Eksil”

Jeg ser ikke filmen som en kritik af af europæisk praksis i Afrika, ikke som en filmatisering af Ejersbos roman, slet ikke som en optaget og gemt transmission eller reportage fra Nordkrafts forestilling. Jeg ser filmen som en fremragende dokumentarisk skildring af en skuespillers empatiske undersøgelse af en person i et litterært værk og hendes skuespillerarbejde med at genskabe dette menneskelivs tragedie, så jeg ved, det var ægte og stort teater der i Ålborg på Nordkraft, så jeg for mine øjne ser en autentisk indsats for ærlighed og kærlighed, men som det hedder i undertitlen også ser en konsekvent ”destruction of beauty”.

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/2805/

Christian Holten Bonke: ”Ejersbo”

I dualiteten liv og værk kan det være nødvendigt at vælge. Christian Bonke har i en vaklen mellem journalistik og filmkunst med et tilsyneladende kaotisk materiale med en række forskellige stilarter, menneskesyn, værdisæt, personlige temperamenter strittende i alle retninger i et imponerende klippearbejdes overblik og vilje til ét frembragt et sammenhængende værk af filmkunst som fører et bestemt sted hen: til det litterære bogværk, som nu helt nødvendigt må læses og genlæses. Jeg må tro: ganske i Jakob Ejersbos ånd…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3372/

Mads Ellesøe: ”Børnesoldatens nye job”

Der klippes ikke i filmscener, der klippes direkte i vidneudsagnene og der indsættes dækbilleder, men de medvirkende er alle intense og meget kompetente og fotograferet i smukke omhyggelige filmbilleder og dækbillederne er valgt medfortællende mere end blot illustrerende, så i lange forløb oplever jeg faktisk en samtales kvaliteter. Ad den vej lykkes det fortællemæssigt yderst fornemt ved præcist valgte dækbilleder især fra arkivmaterialet at etablere Tim Spicer, lederen af de måske største militære firmaer / private hære Sandline, som bliver til det nuværende Aegis, som gennemgående hovedpeson skønt han, oplyses det til sidst, har nægtet at give interview, nægtet at medvirke i filmen.

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3526/

Nagieb Khaja: ”Syrien: Den brændte jord 1-3”

I tre korte reportagemontager giver Nagieb Khaja et ellers uset billede af krigens rædsler, der hvor bomberne rammer i Aleppo. Nagieb Khajas modige og fortvivlede værk, hans videooptagelser uden omsvøb og hans dæmpede stemme gør det klart for mig, hvad det her drejer sig om, Nagieb Khaja er mit vidne nu, som Pablo Picasso med sin Guernica værkserie har været min fortolker, når jeg gennem mit liv prøvede at begribe borgerkrigen i Spanien…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3484/

Mira Jargil og Christian Sønderby Jepsen: ”Til døden os skiller”

For mig har Mira Jargils og Christian Sønderby Jepsens rystende dokumentarserie frem for noget underholdende og debatskabende været et personligt alarmkald. Jeg må altså nu, i tide, ved mine sansers og lemmers fulde kraft tage det her i egen hånd, ikke vente på familiens umulige nåde, men selv og alene forberede mig på adskillelsens konsekvens, i tide selv forhandle med pårørende og sociale myndigheder, selv og alene beslutte detaljerne og få dem testamentarisk stadfæstet ved min egen hånds underskrift. Sådan må tv-serien blive et alarmkald for mange…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3451/

Christian Braad Thomsen: ”Fassbinder – Lieben ohne zu fordern”

Det er for mig i hvert fald grund nok til at få fat i en DVD, instruktørens fortællerstemme, Braad Thomsens fortællestemmer i det hele taget er synes jeg de smukkeste, de mest vedkommende velskrevne i dansk dokumentarfilm, de er gammeldags på den gode nutidige måde. Ok, jeg er selvfølgelig interesseret i Fassbinders værk og da også i hans biografi, men det er Christian Braad Thomsens blik på og sprog om det materiale som fascinerer mig.

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3409/

Peter Øvig Knudsen: ”Testamentet 1 (Tage Skou-Hansen)”

Det er ikke en film med hurtige klip og meget action. Men ved gensyn med filmen mærker jeg igen med glæde, hvordan et meget livsklogt og velformuleret menneske kan bidrage til også at gøre mig klogere, fordi han kompromisløst søger at fortælle de sandest mulige udgaver af sit livs centrale oplevelser og erkendelser.”

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3399/

Best Documentaries 2016/ Intro

2016… should I choose 20 or 16 as the Best Documentaries I have seen this year. I took 16. They appear in a random order. I have not put them in order of 1, 2, 3 etc. with 1 being the best. Should I be asked if any of the films stand out: Yes, Abbas Fahdel’s extraordinary 5 hour long ”Homeland, Iraq Year Zero”. I was lucky to be a jury member at the Dokufest in Prizren, where the film was shown. It was my first visit to the festival in Kosovo that has found its own fine way of treating the audience with documentaries of artistic quality.

Other three of the films on the list I enjoyed at the well programmed DOK Leipzig: Sergei Loznitsa’s ”Austerlitz”, Vitaly Mansky’s ”Close Relations” and Miroslav Janek’s ”Normal Autistic Film”, which of course also reveal my love to documentaries from the Eastern part of Europe. 2016 brought a new film by Lithuanian master Audrius Stonys as well as the chamberplay by Pawel Lozinski ”You have no Idea How Much I Love You” that had its premiere at the festival in Krakow that also premiered talented Piotr Stasik’s NY film ”21 x New York”. I have high expectations to his next film(s) as I have to Georgian Salomé Jashi, whose beautiful ”The Dazzling Light of Sunset” is on the list as is Serbian Ognjen Glavonic with his ”Depth Two”.

But it is not all Eastern docs, there are three American films on the list: Laura Israel’s film on ”Robert Frank, Don’t Blink”, Kirsten Johnson’s ”Cameraperson” and Raoul Peck’s ”I am not Your Negro”. The two last ones are on the way to be Oscar nominated, I cross my fingers.

From IDFA, Amsterdam I picked ”Machines” by Indian Rahul Jain, ”Mogadishu Soldier” by Torstein Grude and Niels Pagh Andersen and ”Liberation Day” by Ugis Olte and Morten Traavik. And from DocsBarcelona Argentinian Martin Solá’s ”Chechen Family”.

16 films that will stay in my mind. And 16 films we have written about in reviews or note-wise on this site. 2016, a good year for artistic documentaries.

The photo is from Dokufest, Prizren, Lumbhardi Cinema.

Best Documentaries 2016

Photo from Homeland, Iraq Year Zero by Abbas Fahnel

Rahul Jain: Machines

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3772/

Raoul Peck: I Am Not Your Negro

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3770/

Kirsten Johnson: Cameraperson

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3632/

Ugis Olte & Morten Traavik: Liberation Day

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3752/

Torstein Grude & Niels Pagh Andersen: Mogadishu Soldier

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3750/

Audrius Stonys: The Woman and the Glacier

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3748/

Sergei Loznitsa: Austerlitz

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3738/

Miroslav Janek: Normal Autistic Film

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3737/

Salomé Jashi: The Dazzling Light of Sunset

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3525/

Ognjen Glavonic: Depth Two

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3475/

Piotr Stasik: 21 x New York

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3578/

Abbas Fahdel: Homeland, Iraq Year Zero

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3645/

Laura Israel: Robert Frank – Don’t Blink

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3630/

Martin Sola: Chechen Family

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3570/

Pawel Lozinski: You Have No Idea How Much I Love You

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3595/

Vitaly Mansky: Close Relations

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3737/

Award to Svetlana & Zoran Popovic

So well deserved… I thought when it was announced yesterday that my dear Belgrade friends Svetlana and Zoran Popovic were to be recipients of an award, a new one set up in the memory of the critic Nebojša Popović, who died in 2015, a prominent film critic at RTS and a programmer at the Belgrade Cultural Center theatre. The motivation for the award to the couple, who has been running a film school, Kvadrat, since 1990 and the festival Magnificent7 since 2005, goes like this:

“The award “Nebojša Popović” goes to SVETLANA i ZORAN POPOVIĆ for their devoted work on promoting and critically observing film and culture – for their dedication, pertinacity and uncompromisingness in all projects they have started and still are engaged in.”

“The award is established by prominent Serbian institutions such as: Serbian Film Center, National TV Broadcasting Company, Yugoslav Film Archive, Authors Film Festival, Beldocs Film Festival and the members of Nebojša Popović family.  This is the first time that the award is given and the decision by the jury of three members is made unanimously. The award will be given on January 11th in the Theater “Belgrade Cultural Center” where Nebojša Popovič was the programmer. The task for the winners will be to make the selection for a one day film program at the Center.”

I could add lots of words to this, including the warm hospitality that I, my wife and the filmmakers, who have attended the festival for 12 years have been met with. See you in February for M7 number 13 – and thanks to Nevena Djonlic for helping with translation of texts. And if you want to see the two in a television clip go to 12.43 of

Photo: The couple on stage at Magnificent7 festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4wBJk37Z4

How Docs Reach the Audience

3 months after the St.Petersburg conference on ”How Docs Reach the Audience” 12 videos are now available online for everyone interested. With around 12 hours of interesting talks about Nordic and Russian experiences, when it comes to reach an audience…

The Russian Documentary Guild has published the whole conference on its site – in an English version and in a Russian, links below. It is very professionally made (excellent interpreters) and you can pick the interventions that appeal to you. The conference was supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Elena Khoroshkina) and produced by Viktor Skubey, president of the Guild and Anastasia Lobanova, both of them producers of documentary films. It was a pleasure to work with them. My job was to help put together the program and moderate with Cecilie Bolvinkel from European Documentary Network (EDN).

It’s all there – take a look at Danish Film Institute (DFI) representatives Liselotte Michelsen and Lisbeth Juhl Sibbesen fighting with the Russian technician to technically prepare the speech on the DFI streaming services, or see Cecilie Bolvinkel present the Moving Docs or hear Anton Mazurov, sales agent, speak about the Russian distribution of creative documentary… It’s all accompanied by clips or power points, it’s informative, inspiring and personal as was Swedish producer Stina Gardell’s talk (PHOTO) not to forget Russian Irina Shatalova from the Doker festival or Maja Lindquist on the Doc Lounge that she set up in Sweden or Diana Tabakov from legendary DocAlliance. Or Flahertiana festival’s Pavel Pechenkin, local cinema programmer Alexey Nedviga, 24 Docs broadcaster Alexey Laifurov and Maria Muskevich who for the Documentary Guild works to better the film club network situation.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXGMu-9ScJZDOvizeYvODkUzJsAql15e7

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXGMu-9ScJZDg8xl-BayssKaM0BwtoImQ

Photography

For one who daily watches moving images and is in the programming process for a festival – 90 documentaries in a month – it is pure pleasure to stop for a moment and look at photographs, be it the reportage genre or art photography. I did so December 10 at the new Whitney Museum in New York, a museum of American Art, and a museum with an excellent view from balconies on several floors.

I took a photo with my i-phone: A woman looks at a photo taken by Diane Arbus in 1963, title ”Teenage Couple on Hudson Street, N.Y.C.”. In 1963 I was also a teenager, had the same haircut as the boy on the photo. He poses for the camera, whereas she seems not that happy to be photographed. How did that photo come about? Did Arbus just stop them on the street and asked for permission? Where were they going? For a drink around the corner? To visit family? A social photography, maybe, it does not communicate happiness, there is something of a Ken Loach film in that shot from N.Y. in 1963. Sadness?

All that I think now,11 days after the visit, knowing that the real reason for the snapshot was the woman, who is looking at the photo: Her interest, her curiosity in that photo, in Jørgen Leth language: Look at the woman. What is she looking at? What are her thoughts? Does she like the photo?

She is quite as important in my photo as the photo itself. The one and only!

http://whitney.org/

No Nation Films

A mail came in on the 14th of December from old friend Orwa Nyrabia, here is first a quote from the mail and then one more from an article written by Melanie Goodfellow for Screendaily, link below, read it all:

Nyrabia: A trademark conflict has emerged over Proaction Film’s name in Germany, our new home. We took this as an opportunity to revisit our stand, rethink what motivates us to make the challenging films we make and to consider how drastically we have changed as filmmakers over the years since we created Proaction Film in Syria, back in 2002. After some 15 years of independent and selective film productions, we are still charged by the anguish and the ambition of the uncompromising filmmakers with whom we

work, behind whom we stand and with whom we celebrate success and, sometimes, endure inescapable failure…

Goodfellow: Berlin-based Syrian producers Orwa Nyrabia and Diana El Jeiroudi have rebranded their company Proaction Film as No Nation Films and unveiled two upcoming documentaries.The new films on its slate include El Jeiroudi’s Republic Of Silence, a personal account of growing up in Syria, and Five Seasons, an undercover work following the activities of four Syrian female revolutionaries.

For the one, who writes this, and have known Orwa and Diana since they set up the DoxBox festival in Damascus: What a good name you have chosen, good luck with the two films. Excited to read about your film project Diana.

On this site we have written about DoxBox in Damascus and in Berlin numerous times, we have written about Orwa’s imprisonment in Syria and we have reviewed with top marks these three films from the company: ”Return to Homs”, ”Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait” and ”The Mulberry House”.

http://www.screendaily.com/news/syrias-proaction-film-rebrands-as-no-nation-films/5112202.article?blocktitle=LATEST-FILM-NEWS-HEADLINES&contentID=44435

Jon Bang Carlsen, Pamela Cohn, Viesturs Kairišs…

… and me are online thanks to our visit to the 2016 DocuDays UA in Kiev. The festival has recorded the lectures made and edited them into nice, informative videos where ”experience is shared”. There are clips in between the words. The festival calls the initiative DocuClass.

Latvian Kairišs speaks about ”the music as a returning to the great myth in documentary” with examples from his great works ”Romeo and Juliet” (2004) and ”Lohengrin from Varka Crew” (2009) – yes, Kairišs is also a recognised opera director. His speech in Kiev is not translated, would have been fine with English subtitles.

You don’t need that when always interesting critic and festival programmer, American Pamela Cohn talks about innovations in American documentary – the same goes for Danish Jon Bang Carlsen, who is introduced like this ”… the inventor and consistent adherent of radical ”staged documentary, Jon Bang Carlsen, will speak about his unique approach to seeking reality by actively creating it at the point where genres intersect. However paradoxical it may sound, the Danish director claims that for him, such an approach is the only way to get closer to reality”.

And if you want to know more about what led to a new generation’s breakthrough of Danish documentary with ”Family” (Phie Ambo and Sami Saif) and ”Monastery” (Pernille Rose Grønkjær), take a look at my 30 minutes in Kiev in March this year.

http://docudays.org.ua/eng/2016/gallery/docu-class-online-2016/

Warscape

… is the title of a contest initiated by the Docudays UA (Ukraine) festival together with International Committee of the Red Cross. Yulia Serdyukova, who is part of the selection committee of the hopefully many interesting projects coming in from emerging filmmakers around the world, has asked me to post the rules of the competition, which I do with pleasure, being a constant supporter of the festival, and also a member of the mentioned selection committee togther with Head of Communications in Ukraine at International Committee of the Red Cross Marie-Servane Desjonqueres. Here is the text about the contest, read it and discover how many countries are eligible:

The international competition for documentary film projects about Ukraine or the Eurasia region, on the consequences of conflicts and other situations of violence inflicted upon civilians.

The conflict in the East of Ukraine prompts us to think again about all the other armed conflicts or situations of violence that have been gripping the world, and in particular our continent.

More attention must be given to the struggle of those caught up in violence. The ICRC delegation in Ukraine and Docudays UA invite emerging documentary filmmakers from Eurasian countries* to

submit projects which focus on human suffering and the struggle of peoples and families to survive the immediate impact war has on their lives, as well as the consequences of war and violence that often remain for decades.

We encourage projects that will talk about the specific, long-lasting effects of armed conflicts on the civilian population in Ukraine and other Eurasian countries, such as:

– missing persons and people separated from their families because of conflicts;

– sexual violence;

– mental health consequences;

– displacement, the (im)possibility of returning home;

– the destruction of infrastructure (roads, water supply system, electricity lines, etc.) or civilian property (houses, etc.), pollution of the environment (water, soil, air, etc.);

– mines and other remnants of war;

– access to education;

– access to health care and the safety of health care and infrastructure;

– the economic security of civilians.

As an independent, neutral and impartial humanitarian organization, the ICRC focuses on helping the most vulnerable. The organization delivers food, hygiene items, medicines and building materials to the worst-affected communities, and helps various water authorities to provide drinking water and repair vital infrastructure. Its teams visit people detained in connection with conflicts in government-controlled areas, and negotiate access to places of detention on the other side of lines of contact. Whenever possible, the ICRC participates in operations to release and transfer detainees between the parties concerned. The ICRC also regularly reminds those concerned of their obligations under international humanitarian law. These universally recognized rules, which are based on a clear distinction between civilians and military personnel, require that civilians and civilian infrastructure be protected from the effects of hostilities.

Given the neutral and impartial nature of its work, the ICRC seeks to support projects which take the organization’s principles into account. More on the principles here.

The film projects should show or promote issues which are of the greatest importance for those who are caught up in violence, no matter which side they belong to. As war brings many serious consequences for people, we are looking to support further projects which could show in the most human way how the use of weapons on one day can impact a society for years afterwards.

Who can apply?

Emerging directors or director-producer teams with a documentary film proposal at any stage (completed films are not eligible). Above all, we will aim to select projects which are relevant to the competition’s topic and meet the ICRC’s principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence.

*Eligible countries: Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo.

Co-productions are also eligible, as long as the producer or the director belongs to one of these countries. Applicants don’t necessarily need to demonstrate a documentary background, but will need to be at emerging level and demonstrate a track record in filmmaking. The program is not appropriate for established filmmakers who have, for example, made more than one feature documentary or received significant industry recognition with a previous feature documentary or fiction film.

Applicants must be fluent in English.

The program

We will shortlist up to 6 projects, which will be invited to attend Docudays UA 2017 (24-31 March 2017), take part in a 2-day training session, and make a pitch to a panel of experts. Members of the jury tbc.

The finalists will take part in a 2-day training session. It will consist of training in pitching, International Humanitarian Law and psych-social aspects of approaching a victim of violence.

The panel will award one prize of US$5000 to one winner.

The following costs will be covered:

– training;

– a full festival pass;

– accommodation and meals.

Applicants are encouraged to seek additional grants from other organisations to cover their travel costs.

Timeline

Deadline for applications: February 1, 2017, 23:59 EET

Shortlist announced: February 15, 2017.

Training and pitching: during Docudays UA 2017 (24-31 March 2017), exact date tbc.

Winner announced: March 30th, at the closing ceremony of Docudays UA.

How to apply

Prepare the following documents:

1. Description of the project: logline and synopsis (obligatory), treatment and director’s statement (not necessary for the projects at the very early stage);

2. Director’s and producer’s biographies and filmographies;

3. Summary of the project’s budget, with a note of how you would spend the prize money;

4. Supporting visuals (photo with English-language captions and/or video with English subtitles).

Please name your files with your project’s name.

To apply, please fill in the application form here.

Once completed, send the documents mentioned above to yserdyukova@docudays.org.ua.

Applications and all documents must be provided in English. All training and the final pitch will be held in English.

If you wish to submit more than one idea, please create a different application for each idea. Please note that you will be asked to work on only one of these throughout the program.

If you have any questions about the program or how to apply, please email Yulia Serdyukova.

Grant will be given in US dollars equivalent. In order to receive the money, the applicant must sign an agreement with the granting organization (the ICRC delegation in Ukraine). The terms and conditions of the agreement will be fixed separately with the granting organization within 20 days after the winner is announced, in accordance with the winning project’s stage of development/production.

http://docudays.org.ua/eng/warscape-2016/

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL

24–31 MARCH 2017

Finn Larsen: The Dump

The Dump – growing mountains of waste in Greenland, is part of the exhibition ”MANS LAND” 2012, Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg, Galleri Pi, Copenhagen and museums in Greenland, now on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cta1-rrX6Xs&feature=youtu.be (The Dump, streaming, ENGLISH version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qs7xcuC9lE (The Dump, streaming, GRØNLANDSK version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbHfLqkyRl0&t=197s (The Dump, streaming, DANSK version)

 

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3605/ (Om Finn Larsen fotografi og udstillinger)

WASTE

There are 56,700 inhabitants in Greenland, in 18 cities and 50-60 settlements. There is practically no waste management. In the larger cities there are waste combustion systems, but they are undersized and malfunctioning.

Waste disposal management in Greenland is in worse state than it is in Denmark, even though Denmark is no role model. Numerous campaigns want to reduce Greenland to a victim of climate changes. But the majority of Greenlanders does not share this conviction.

The government of Greenland desires room for economic growth and as a result, they agitate the right to increase pollution. Oil drilling and extraction of gold and rare metals are under planning. The economic potential is immense. So are the possibilities of environmental disasters and the risk of expanding al-ready existing social gaps.

The problems Greenland is facing with waste disposal and societal dilemmas are the same, as those of other Nordic and European countries.The distinction is that the problems in Greenland are worse and more evident.

Greenland is no different from any other country. That’s the problem. (Finn Larsen, 2016)

Finn Larsen: The Dump, a journey from north to south of Greenland. Sweden, 2012 (web 2016) 26 min., YouTube.