What is a documentary?

What is a documentary 

At my first day in Zelig Film school i met a man named Tue Steen Müller that immediately asked us to present ourselves and talk about a documentary we saw. I briefly explained what brought me to love films and especially documentary. And while hearing all the other future ‘cinema people’ answers my mind started drifting about in how many aspects a movie can create a connection with people. So when the man who lived in the cinema industry for a long time asked us newbies to write 3 words that described what we think a documentary is I immediately wrote down the word Adventure. Adventure is the key word of my life, and since every form of living organism, human or not, is living one, a documentary is the mean of trying to take that content and bring it to the World. A documentary is definitely something different for the ones who make it and the ones who watch it. From my point of view as an, hopefully, future film maker I see a mean of taking my passion into something that can be an insight of an aspect of society, the care for a dear friend and his issues, an event i care about, a challenge i want to win in researching, respecting and sharing the realities and truths of a story that will cause a reflection in the watchers mind. Until now i’ve always been on the other side of the picture, watching and enjoying the love that film makers bring in their movies. Trying to get the knowledge out of it and make it mine, using cinema as a door that lead to inspirations through a storytelling that will answer all the questions that comes in my mind. Documentary as a viewer is about intriguing my curiosity and finding myself surprised from how much Adventures can be different. Quoting one of my favorite movies ‘To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.’ and that is what i want my movies to be. 

Riccardo Brugnara 

The Truth about Documentary  

When a group of 25 students are being asked ‘What is Documentary?’, the word ‘truth’ comes up multiple times. This makes sense, you would say. You could even say that this is what differentiates documentary film from fiction, being about a true story. We could define this as a characteristic of documentary, but somehow this does not seem right. What even is truth? When is a film enough truth to be considered a documentary? 

For me, this aspect cannot just define documentary film, but it is one of the fascinating parts of it. It is interesting that documentary is indeed about a story that is true, but it is more than that. It is a lens to see a small part of the world through. Because it only gives a frame to look through, this makes it possible to focus on certain elements without viewing the whole event. This means the film is a version or a part of the truth that interests and moves the maker, and therefore highlights this specific part of it. It is about observing a subject, reflecting on it and finding the perspective that moves the most. 

Because that is for me what documentary should be: moving. Moving in the literal meaning of the word; to activate the viewer to take action or change their thinking or even their behaviour. But also moving in the broader sense, that is opens the viewer to emotions. These could be either positive or negative, but it is the impact of emotions you feel from a film, that sticks with you. It is like with people in real life. We tend to forget what people look like or what they said, but will always remember how they made us feel. The stronger these feelings, the better the people stick with you. I think the same applies to documentary. The ones that moved you, that make you feel strong emotions, are the ones that have an impact and will be remembered. 

The big impact emotions have in documentary, also makes the medium highly subjective. This case, together with the fact that it is not possible to portray the whole objective truth, is the beauty of documentary film. Having to choose the perception and perspective of the film, gives the maker the ability to control the focus of the narrative, and therefore of the topic. For the viewer, this could mean a completely new way of seeing someone or something as they would never see it by themselves. To be able to be blown away by a film, discover and feel new things, even if they might think to know the ‘truth’. To play with the interpretation of the truth, and finding the perspective and form that moves the most, that is for me what documentary is. 

Annieke Boer

Zelig Film Fest Bolzano/ 2

Here is how the director Kyrylo Naumko introduces his film “Dear Odesa” on the website of Zelig (https://www.zeligfilm.it/it/):

I did not notice exactly how and when life in Odesa became unbearable. But, probably, last 2 years I had a terrible feeling of disgust mixed with love. I was irritated by many things: the mayor who was a bandit, the widespread apathy of most residents of Odesa to the problems of the city, and chaotic construction. Plastic balconies on the facades of historic buildings, air conditioners, huge advertising signs – all these are pimples on the body of my beloved city. A city that could once breathe freely. Until recently, this worried me almost the most in life. Now, after the war started, the only thing I want is for this city to just stand. Just exist. Please.

Ukrainian documentaries are shown at festivals all over the world in this time of war, in solidarity with Ukraine. The film by Kyrylo Naumko was shot before the invasion in February. It is a young man’s declaration of love to his city, nicely created with atmosphere and with three fine protagonists – the mother of the director, his friend Mykata and the director himself. Should definitely be taken by festivals with or without a focus on Ukraine.

The film team included cinematographer Hannah Hütter and editor Lydia Gasparini. Deservedly praised on stage by the audience and the supervisor of the film Robert Rombout.

Zelig Film Fest Bolzano

Zelig Film Fest Bolzano

10 films, 28 graduates… 5 films were shown last night, 5 will hit the screen tonight. I am not here to review the films but I will not refrain from saying that the general quality is high, that I do appreciate the policy of the school to have a diversity of themes from the students and I say Bravo to the school making a Fest out of the presentation of the graduation films. They deserve it!

Here are the introductory words on themes, from the school, to the 10 films of the Fest: …From the remote villages of an island of the Indian Ocean to the urban periphery of Barcelona; from the historical venues of the magnificent Odesa in Ukraine to the small alleys of the city centre of Genua, in Italy; from cold winter of Hamburg and of the internal Austrian landscape, to the sunny streets of Palermo, Sicily, until the remote rehearsal locations of a particular theatre company in the undergrounds of Milano: as for every three years, ZeLIG films are an insight into humanity, into the diversity of contemporary society and they will make you laugh, cry, smile.

Matilde Ramini is one of the students graduating from Zelig Documentary School, she presented as director the film “Fuoritempo” at the Zelig Film Fest that takes place 28-29 of October at the Filmclub Bozen (Bolzano). Three years ago she was asked by a teacher, me, to write a small essay answering the question “What is a Documentary”. She wrote in Italian, here are the two first paragraphs from a fine text: http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/4679/

La scorsa settimana la lavagna bianca della ZeLIG traboccava di sostantivi, verbi ed aggettivi. Non si è trattato (solo) di una lezione di grammatica inglese, bensì di mettere nero su bianco le parole che ci sono venute in mente quando Tue ci ha chiesto di pensare al documentario. Il risultato è stato un puzzle semantico, nella cui incompletezza e contraddittoreità ci possiamo rispecchiare in trenta.

Una cosa è emersa chiaramente: fare documentari significa esercitare la settima arte. Non inferiori alla fiction, i documentari sono film in piena regola e come tali è la loro estetica e la loro poetica visiva a caratterizzarli. La creatività e l‘abilità di sottrarsi ad una certa pretenziosità estetica sono per alcuni di noi le principali caratteristiche del documentarista e della documentarista…

Looking forward to the five films of tonight, starting with “Dear Odesa” by Kyrolo Naumko, who is in Ukraine whereas his mother (protagonist of the film) and his sister will be present at the screening.

The Zelig website gives you information about the graduation films, including credits, technical information, trailers, bios of the film team members and director’s introduction: https://film.zeligfilm.it/en/ What more to want?

Awards of the 10th Aegean Docs

The Best Foreign Film Award of 1.000 euros. Shared equally to:

Maija Isola (Finland), Leena Kilpelainen.

and

 Looking for Horses (Bosnia-Herzegovina/France),Stefan Pavlovic

 

 

Best Greek Film Award of 1.000 euros with the support of Greek Film Centre:

The Bet (Greece)Maria Leonida.

The Award of Best Production, 500 euros is awarded to:

Ksenia Gapchenko from Russia for the film “How to Save a Dead Friend” of the director Marusya Syroechkovskaya, Sweden/Norway/ France/Germany

Ksenia Gapchenko, with emotion, told us: 

«On February 24th a country where my mum was born and I spent my childhood, was attacked by the country of my father. For me it was a great tragedy. I decided to leave Russia. Since April I’m not living in Moscow, the city I once loved a lot. 

I condemn violence and war. I’m trying to start my life in Europe with my daughter, who is my support, love and the best companion.

I hope for peace in Ukraine and freedom for Russia».

Best short film award of 500 euros:

Menores (Spain),Juan Trueba

Honorary Distinction «10 years AegeanDοcs»

The jury of AegeanDocs awards the honorary distinction “10 years of AegeanDocs” to director Eva Stefani for her valuable contribution to the establishment of Creative Documentary in Greece.

Honorary Distinctions are also awarded to:

A Jewish Life(Austria), Christian Kermer & Christian Krienes, Austria for their contribution to saving the memory of the Holocaust 

The Other Half (Greece), Georgios Moutafis for his dedication to researching and documenting the refugee drama.

What is a Documentary?

While in the Greek island: Two mornings with film students from Romania, organised by Ana Vlad, documentary teacher at the university and a film director I have known for many years. Pleasure to work with her. I asked the students to take part in the game I have introduced on many occasions. Armine Vosgarian put the words together in an essay like this:

“Write down the first 3 words which come to your mind when hearing the word documentary.”, says Tue Steen Müller, the visiting lecturer for today. I haven’t written a single word on the zoom chat. My keyboard wasn’t responding to any commands. I even hit it, but no use. Ironically, I was chosen to write a tiny essay on the words that popped  on the chat. This was the first time I saw most of the students, online or offline, so I can’t grasp the meaning of those words in terms of the projects they are working on, but, from the discussions held during the session, I understood that forces such as: curiosity, patienceand love drive us in our documentarian journey.

Curiosity drives every artist. There was another word used such as insight which is a consequence of curiosity focused towards one’s inner self. Curiosity is the first impulse of a child and this innocence is what saves the artist. This was one of the key elements we learnt in acting school. If you lose your curiosity, you are not willing to learn anymore, to love anymore and to, eventually, live anymore.

Some terms as authenticity, truthand purity were put on the table. One of the students placed Werner Herzogbetween words like reality and trust. Here we leave space for philosophy. If we are in search of truth as artists, we are saved, as long as we know we can never embrace it in its completeness. If we listen to Aristoteles, everything we see is a copy of a divine plan and art is a second hand copy. The purity and authenticity comes with the strength of the artist when he is open to the world. Even when he isolates himself from everything, he has to be open, like a medium for ligth or darkness, whatever suits him. 

Others proposed the terms like realand human. We, humans, are real and authentic through our continous struggle of moving on. Some believe that is human to forget, some say is human to forgive.

  We, as documentary makers, can participate in the process of our characters healing. While we observe and express our own emotions when choosing the angle and shots of that character’s space, we are entrusted with their exorcism. We are like guides. I believe the process is quite different from the fiction film because we hold a heavier responsibility.

  The connection we create with the characters who are human beings, breathing beyong our pixels, contributes greatly to the path of both the filmmaker and the one portrayed. When making a documentary, you are responsible for the message. We are still under the protection of the large umbrella of poetry and free expression, but all the politics brought on screen weigh more than in fiction. Even in feature films, we ingest the message differently when we see the words: based on real events. 

  In documentary making, we have a mission. We will never be able to point out the truth, but we have to try, relentlessly, to show what our characters believe to be the truth, especially when their voices were rarely heard.  If we doubt the people or the situation we chose to portray, then. with empathy and honesty, we have bring our own truth that counterpoints them.  

  Documentary is life, more than anything, with all its complexities and we need courage to hold on to it. Lord Byron sayd something like truth is stranger than fiction. Well,  we have a saying in Romanian. “Life beats film”

Photo: Ana Vlad

Aegean Docs 10th Edition/ 3

An important film was programmed last night in the cinema in Myrina:

A Jewish Life

Direction Team: Christian Krönes, Florian Weigensamer, Christian Kermer, Roland Schrotthofer. Israel, Austria, 114 mins. 2021.

 

Annotation: Marko Feingold, born in 1913, grew up in a Jewish working-class neighborhood of Vienna. Fateful twists and turns helped him survive the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Neuengamme, Dachau and Buchenwald. After the War he (illegally) aided tens of thousands of survivors out of Europe to what would become Israel. At the age of 105, A Jewish Life is his story, in his own words shortly before his death.

After the film there was a short skype Q&A with Christian Kermer. I asked him how it was possible to have a 105 year old man talk so well and precise. The answer was that the film crew spent 14 shooting days with him with some breaks, when he was not feeling good. The story of a man, told by himself, a man who remembers as we should remember, a man who talks about Austria and Anschluss that was welcomed by most Austrians… A dark spot in Austrian post-war history.

Aegean Docs 10th Edition/ 2

It’s your night, Kostas Spiropoulos, the director of Aegean Docs, said to me. He knows that the two films shown last night are very much appreciated by me, and written about on www.filmkommentaren.dk

They are “Looking for Horses”, quote:

“Stefan Pavlović did it all on his own. In one scene he helps Zdravko get his hearing aid correctly set in another with the camera on a tripod he films himself and Zdravko at the table, close together; Stefan puts his head on the shoulder of Zdravko in a scene of joy and sadness, a beautiful and warm moment among many in a film full of poetry, a chamber play set on a lake, a film that caress its viewer – like the horses are caressed. Documentary at its best! 

Pavlovic took part in the Q&A via skype.

And ”How to Save a Dead Friend”, directed by Marusya Syroechkovskaya. The producer Ksenia Gapchenko was there for a long and good Q&A. Quote:

The title could also have been “Marusya and Kimi” putting the focus on what it is, a love story, with a start, a middle and an end – told in a film language that is touching, that is sweet and funny – and sad as it evolves, with the self-destruction of Kimi, who dives more and more into using hard drugs and “looks at the camera and not at me” as Marusya says. A tragic love story, yes, but full of warm scenes with the two, scenes you can only characterize as poetic.

Aegean Docs 10th edition

Lucky us, my wife and I, to be invited to Aegean Docs on the island of Limnos. The 10th edition of a special documentary film festival that takes place in 9 (nine!) islands in the North Aegean Sea: Lemnos, limnos, Ikaria, Agios Efstratios, Samos, Fournoi, Oinousses, Psara, Chios.

The organiser is Storydoc that you can read about in many posts on this site – it arranged training sessions with international names taking part as tutors, Stan Neumann, Niels Pagh Andersen, Emma Davie, Mikael Opstrup, Iikka Vehkalahti, Erez Laufer, Madeleine Avramoussis.

Storydoc is run by Kostas Spiropoulos and Chara Lampidou.

The opening night includes two films that I have reviewed – here are some clips from the texts:

Leena Kilpelainen: Maija Isola (Finland)

… To be honest I had never heard of Maija Isola before so I thought, why the film had been chosen (for DocsBarcelona, ed.). Watching yesterday, the answer was given. What a life (1927-2001) she had as an artist, a traveller, many men, constantly in the process of creating, with the connection to Marimekko as the backbone. She tells the story herself via her diaries and via her daughter, who lives in a house full of the mother’s creations, it’s a chronologically told adventurous film with lovely archive footage from the places, she went to, Paris being number one, but also Algeria, New York and sometimes back to – mostly – snowy Finland. It is simply a pleasure to be with clever, reflective Maija Isola in her search for what is the meaning of it all. And despite the many love stories her happy moments being alone. It’s a film with many layers and a huge respect for the audience. “Master of Colour and Form” is the subtitles to the film, indeed, we see that!

Eva Stefani: Days and Nights of Demetra K(Greece)

… Eva (Stefani) is there with the camera, asks questions to Dimitra, laughs with the charismatic woman, go with her to conferences about prostitution and prostitutes, to political meetings, sees her with her dozen of cats, hears her family story – in a film that falls in two parts, first one in Dimitra’s brothel, second one in her flat in the middle of the city. The film is a true evidence of how important it is to be close to and like the one you are filming and have curiosity to human life as it unfolds outside normal circles. Eva Stefani wants to learn about life when she films and in this case she gives the audience the wonderful opportunity to meet Dimitra, a strong and yet vulnerable woman taking us around in the streets of Athens. Could you move a bit Dimitra so Acropolis can be seen in the picture… Dimitra, can you turn on some light… they collaborate Dimitra and Eva Stefani, the unique Greek filmmaker.

Curiosity and Love… Magnificent7

Total trust can only come from curiosity and love, Heddy Honigmann said in an interview. The director who passed away this year continued by saying that she loved the people, she films. That is so obvious in her “Oblivion” from 2008, that was shown at the Magnificent 7 in Belgrade as a tribute to the great filmmaker. A screening with around 200 spectators and a long warm applause following. Honigmann: One of my producers once said that I should film horrible people… but why should I… I want to film nice people.

Curiosity and love… could be the words characterizing this year’s edition (number 18) of the festival in Belgrade. Pawel Lozinski’s “Balcony Movie” is indeed carried by the director’s interest in people passing by, interest and love, caring and searching for an answer to the question “what is the meaning of life?”

The same goes for this year’s discovery, “The Wind that Moves Us”, where Catalan Pere Puigbert in his first feature length documentary declares his love to nature and people and lets his grandmother declare her love to her late grandfather, beautiful!

Curiosity and love is what drives the Elvis Presley fan, magnificent teacher Kevin when he inspires the kids in the Belfast school to understand the world around them in “Young Plato” and what makes Dr. Popov and his colleagues in the Bulgarian “A Provincial Hospital” be the heroes they are in the film by Ilian Metev, Ivan Chertov and Zlatina Teneva.

And there is no doubt where Dutch director Oeke Hoogendijk puts her sympathy and love in “The Treasures of Crimea”, when she films the woman, who asked colleagues at the Crimean museums to have their treasures go to the exhibition in Amsterdam.

Curiosity and love, well you could not make “Zoo Lockdown” without that as Andreas Horvath has done. 

Nordisk Panorama/ The Forum

The 29th edition of the Forum for Co-Financing of Documentaries. I was there for the two days, where 24 projects were pitched to a panel of TV-editors and Film Fund/Institute consultants with another 22 listed in the catalogue as observers, who could – as those behind the 24 mentioned – have individual meetings in the hours following the public show.

Is it a show? For us in the audience? Yes and no, depending on those pitching and those responding. And on the moderators skills. They were good, Cecilia Lidin and Mikael Opstrup. Well prepared, knew in beforehand who could be interested, always supporting towards the filmmakers at the other end of the table. Professional in other words creating the special family-like Nordic tone. That has the bad side that noone dares to be critical which sometimes creates a monotone atmosphere, where one editor says that he/she agrees with the previous one and “Thank you for the pitch” and “We can talk more in an individual meeting”. Fair enough but boring for the audience.

I will now bring in some comments on some of the projects, mostly those where I simply look forward to see the film.

And yet I start with some grumpy comments:

…on the first film presented, Norwegian “Kyiv Soloist”: “We get to experience the tragedy of the war in Ukraine through the eyes of a Ukrainian ensemble touring Europe as their home country is ravaged by war”. Production by Indie Film. A political correct choice to have this film open the Forum but disappointing to see a vulgar trailer cutting between interviews and soloists, who are now in Bodø in Norway, AND archive footage from bombed houses etc. from Ukraine. The day before in Malmø 13 Ukrainian filmmakers, invited by Nordisk Panorama, were pitching their projects – the Norwegian team did not mention any ideas of Ukrainian collaboration only hoping for funding from the Nordic broadcasters. Budget around 650.000€. Many Ukrainian documentaries could be made for that money. I sat next to a Ukrainian producer, who went in the break to say hello to the Norwegians, hope something will come out of that.

“Fashion Slaves” with Masud Akhond and Nicklas Karpaty was presented by always quality orientated Swedish Mantaray Film, fine verbal presentation, a bit weak trailer, in pre-production but a strong subject – the reality of young women working, and their dreams, in the textile industry in Bangla Desh… I looked at my fine new shirts the other day:”Made in Bangla Desh”.

Finally! I wrote in the catalogue when I had heard and seen the presentation of “The Dialogue Police” by Susanna Edwards, who I remember so well from her bullfighting film “Sunshadow” from 1996. There was energy in the clip and new for me was this group of policemen, who “instead of seeing threats… should focus on opportunities”. They will have a lot to do after the sad result of the Swedish election recently with, among others, Danish madman Rasmus Paludan running around burning korans. Want to see that film.

Also very powerful and promising is “Walls” located in Greenland, directors Nina Paninnguag Kristiansen and Sofie Rørdam, producer Emile Hertling Péronard, Anorak Films. Description: “Ruth grew up in a small settlement on Greenland’s magnificentEast coast, but has spent almost half her life in prison. Nina is a career-minded film producer from Nuuk, and during a documentary project in prison she becomes entangled in Ruth’s fate…” It was one of the most applauded projects during the Forum. Agreed!

… and then a film project called “The Andersson Brothers” – Roy Andersson and his brothers who did not/do not communicate, and drink too much. That Roy A. has had/has a problem with alcohol, last year I saw a fine film about him, where that issue was in the foreground, honestly I don’t understand why I should see a film about his brothers as well.

But I want to see the Norwegian “In Cod We Trust” from the fishing village, as they call it, Båtsfjord up in the North. Not more than 2000 people live there, “on top of the world”. Director Guro Saniola Bjerk performed an energetic pitch and the visual was inviting, my note was “lovely” and “fun”. About people.

And then some warm words about Jukka Kärkkaäinen from Finland, who is back to follow his friend and protagonist Tero from the unique “The Living Room of a Nation” from 2009 and Tero’s son Henry in “Like Father Like Son”. We have to wait till 2025 to see the final result as Kärkkaäinen intends to follow Henry until he turns 18. It can’t go wrong with a director as Kärkkaäinen.

On tuesday, the second day of the Forum, I stayed at the hotel to watch it all on a big television screen. A fine service from the festival, perfectly following the moderators, the pitching teams, the editors and consultants giving remarks, close-up television – many competent words came from Charlotte Gry Madsen SVT in Malmø, Erkko Lyytinen from YLE, Nathalie Windhorst from VPRO, Frank Piasecki from DFI and Arte’s Philippe Muller was again trying to advice the pitchers where to go in the labyrinth of the German/French channel.

Praise to three projects:

“North South Man Woman” presented by Norwegian Morten Traavik, who knows how to get into the enigmatic North Korean society as he showed with “Liberation Day” from 2016 – love that film. This time he has found a “refugee North Korean matchmaker and her Southern clients”. Fine teaser. I am curious, I guess he got some clients at the individual meetings.

Further East… Danish director Kaspar Astrup Schrøder has shown he can go into the closed Japanese society with the film “Rent a Family Inc.” from 2012; this time he also has a focus on an individual protagonist, 21 year old Koki, who started a hotline for young people, who have mental problems and think of taking their own lives. “I Belong to Nowhere” is ready to go into production. In the clip we get to know that in Japan there is a “Ministry of Loneliness”!

Back to Sweden and the strong company led by Göran Hugo Olsson, Story, that came up with “G” with Loran Batti as the director. “I’m tired to see this community being portrayed from outside” said Olsson in the verbal pitch completing the saying of the director “… I’ve long wanted to portray the suburbs from the perspective of the “black-skulls”. During all these years, I’ve been out ll night, made my mother unhappy and lived a life that wasn’t for me. Why? Because I was loyal to the community…”. Powerful trailer, probably the best I saw in terms of artistic power and energy.

Immediately after “G” the organisers had placed a project, “Storm Alerts”, a docu-drama from Iceland about a man who has/had a dream job at Copenhagen University and… I did not get it from the hysterical trailer, I don’t think the film project should have been at the Nordisk Panorama…

… that otherwise had many interesting film projects that hopefully will be realised in the coming years.

Thanks for the invitation!