138.506 Spectators at DocsBarcelona

Take a look at the photo above. Taken by the photographer F Fagregas: A concert with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen at Nou Camp. Where I have been several times with Joan Gonzalez, director of DocsBarcelona. Last night at the award ceremony he announced that the audience for DocsBarcelona 2020 Online was so big that the famous stadium for Barca i.e., where Messi plays, where Ronaldinho and Laudrup have played, would have been too small as it can “only” room a bit more than 90.000. The number of spectators for DocsBarcelona online, available for viewers in Spain, was 138.506! Of course it is not totally comparable but the amount of cinemagoers at the festival four years ago was 10.000 and 2 years ago the number passed 25.000 cinemagoers. Mr. Data, as Gonzalez sometimes calls himself, was right when he wrote that this forms a giant step for the documentary genre and he continued that the online will stay, NOT as the first priority, that will still be to show the festival films in the cinemas, but as a means to reach new audiences, to create a documentary culture!

It would be interesting to know, of course, from where in Spain the audience comes. Gonzalez, on the basis of twitters, if I got it right, said that he thinks 60% are from Catalonia, 40 % from the rest of Spain.

From me, as Head of Programming, I am happy to see artistic, personal documentaries like “Winter Journey”, “Songs of Repression”, “Advocate”, “Rising from the Tsunami” and “Vivos” attract more than 4000 spectators in the few days they were available. The winner – b/w, experiment in editing, for many “special” – had close to 2500 spectators.

Long live the art of documentary cinema.

www.docsbarcelona.com 

Storm Henriksen og Lindgreen: Mod, Sved og Tårer

Det er en ungdomsfilm står der og det udelukker mig, jeg lammes i interessen på forhånd og så har Andrea Storm Henriksens og Ina Lindgrens lille tv-serie næsten selvfølgelig en bestemt vinkling i front nemlig at undersøge et sociologisk problemfelt om unge mennesker som ikke passer ind i de mere fastlagte og sædvanlige uddannelsesrammer. Det er den journalistiske vinkel læser jeg på forhånd men jeg læser også dokumentafilmtræk når jeg ser filmen, træk som dukker op, Frederick Wiseman minder i skildringen af miljøet, af institutionen, af den vidunderlige cirkusskole og i portrætteringen af de fire hovedpersoner.

Skildringen lykkes til overdådighed, den skole er et fagligt fantastisk og emotionelt rart sted, men portrætteringerne får ikke plads nok til at montagens karakterudviklinger af de fire bliver rolige og tydelige, men jeg er også mest optaget af alderdomsfilm og frydes til gengæld ved kameraskabte ærlige scener, to eksempler:

Samtalen mellem eleven højt oppe i trapezen og læreren på gulvet, den scene som jeg elsker, som jeg kunne se til et sekund før den dør af sig selv og jeg er en erfaring og et minde rigere som efter et digt…

Samværet mellem eleven ved klaveret som har meldt sig ind på skolen her for spring, trapez og jongleren (som han loyalt slider med) men i pauserne sætter sig ved klaveret og spiller og hun som har set ud som han har set hende, hun sætter sig på bænken hos ham og han lærer hende stilfærdigt venstrehånden og de spiller sammen som det måske kan bruges ved afslutningsforestillingnen. Og så synger han, synger og spiller en blues. Ja, kald det bare forelskelse, kærlighed i spæd begyndelse…

Det er som to små kameraiagttagelser i Wiseman film og der er adskillige af dem at opdage og tøve ved i denne fine lille tv-serie, det er et smukt og rigt værk med en sikker puls som kulminerer i den store finale, en serie for ungdommen og alderdommen at juble over. Se den!

SYNOPSIS 1

A documentary series in two parts about a group of young students at an alternative school in Denmark. At AFUK (the Academy for Untamed Creativity), also called “The Circus School”, it is acceptable to be different. The school believes in quirky characters, and that everyone is capable of much more than they think they are. 

For a year we follow the students on the “artist course”, a group of young talents within circus and performance, as they develop their unique skills. These young people have never had much success within the framework of the traditional education system but at AFUK they will get a chance to live out their talent and personalities, which they have often felt insecure about and not often been fully appreciated for. They are committed and have a lot invested in this school year, where new friendships and a new sense of community could emerge. (Danish Film Institute site)

SYNOPSIS 2

Mod Sved Tårer er en ungdomsfilm, der foregår på en kreativ ungdomsuddannelse i Danmark, hvor der er plads til at være anderledes. Akademiet for utæmmet kreativitet, også bare kaldet AFUK, er et alternativ til det traditionelle gymnasium. ”Man skal turde at være den man er” og ”Du kan så meget mere end du måske selv tror” er nogle af AFUKS kerneværdier. Hen over er skoleår følger filmen fire unge elever på AFUKS artistlinje, der på hver deres måde ikke føler, at de passer ind på et almindeligt bogligt gymnasie. Vi møder Mads, Oliver; Zanya og Andy første skoledag og filmen følger dem fra den første nervøsitet til de står stolte og modige med helt ny styrke både fysisk og mentalt, foran et stort publikum og talentspejdere til skolens afslutningsforestilling Festivitas. Mod Sved Tårer er en ungdomsfilm om identitet, om ikke passe ind i det mange forventer af en og om modet til at søge nye fælleskaber. (Made in Copenhagen site)

Mod, sved og tårer” af Andrea Storm Henriksen og Ina Lindgreen. Premiere på TV2 den 2. juni 2020. Den smukke tv-serie i to dele kan desuden ses på TV2 Play fra den samme dato.

Krakow FF Puts a Focus on Denmark

Tonight the opening of the Krakow Film Festival takes place at 7pm. 

The festival 2020 goes online – with the same high quality in selection as always. Competition programmes, thematic sections, a Dragon Award for the master Peter Forgacs, films for kids, industry events and much much more.

Including a very generous gesture towards Denmark: “Special guest of this year’s festival is Danish cinema. In Focus on Denmark section we will see the latest documentary and short films from Denmark, as well as a special programme for kids and youth and a selection of student films.” A fine bravo to Danish documentary in the 60th edition of the prestigious festival. An honour.

On that occasion you – whereever you live, for free, with English as the language – will have the chance to meet 4 Danish top documentary producers, who have contributed to the current success of Danish documentary worldwide. The producers who will talk about coproduction are Sigrid Dyekjær, Kathrine Sahlstrøm, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Malene Flindt Pedersen – who will be joined by Ane Mandrup, Head of Documentaries at the Danish Film Institute and Kim Christiansen from DR Sales (Danish Broadcasting Corp.), executive producer. It’s my job to be the moderator.

The conference has a duration of 90 minutes and takes place Tuesday June 2nd at 12-13.30 via the link below, You can put question to the panel (write mail@tuesday.dk). Photo: Eva Mulvad’s A Modern Man 

https://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/en/industry/industry-zone/panels-conferences/focus-on-denmark-presentation/

 

 

 

Grit Tind Mikkelsen: Rebeccas rum

Rum hedder det. Både i ental og i flertal, både i fysisk betydning og i mental betydning. Rebecca hedder også Vera og hun kan godt være i to tilstande, viser det sig. Grit Tind Mikkelsens dejlige film spiller på alle disse alternativer i en gennemført diminuendo, som dog desværre mod slutningen forstyrres en del af en metafor over havets tilstande. Unødvendigt, for hovedpersonen Vera Rebecca er konstant i scenen  og fortæller selv det hele i én uafbrudt dialog med de andre og med sig selv, og det er og bliver Rebecca Veras egen smukke, smukke film hvert sekund, indlevet støttet af Grit Tind Mikkelsens kloge instruktion og fornemt observerende kamera og Anna Heides uforstyrret elegante klip fra det voldsomste til det mest tyste. Jeg vil tillade mig herefter fra de to at vente mig flere kloge og gribende film, mere filmkunst altså.

Danmark 2020, 69 min. Filmen havde premiere under CPH:DOX og kan streames på DR-TV fra 31. maj 2020.

SYNOPSIS 1

 The entrepreneur Rebecca Vera Stahnke has broken off all contact with the established fashion industry, and is now focusing all her efforts on the new concept Veras. From the hopeful beginnings in empty storefronts to the harsh tone of board meetings, Rebecca fights on all fronts for a space that is hers. In a reality where tonnes of clothing and highly-strung confrontation is a part of everyday life, Rebecca’s biggest challenge is ultimately herself. ‘Pieces of Rebecca’ follows the personal journey of a young entrepreneur’s first years, but is above all a human tale of Rebecca herself – the woman behind the phenomenon Veras. (CPH:DOCS site) 

SYNOPSIS 2

Rebeccas Rum er et intimt og poetisk portræt af en passioneret arbejdsnarkoman, som forsøger at finde en balance mellem sin profession og den hun er.

 Iværksætteren Rebecca Vera Stahnke har, efter en krise, kappet kontakten med den etablerede modebranche, og satser nu alt, hvad hun indeholder, på sit nye koncept Veras. Alt ved denne rejse er personligt og i løbet af Rebeccas første år som iværksætter, følger instruktøren hendes udvikling i håb om at fange den menneskelige fortælling.

 Rebecca introducerer os for et farverigt univers midt i København, samtidig med at hun slider for at få plads til sig selv i en pulserende og hårdtslående verden. Fra den håbefulde start i tomme butikslokaler, til de skarpe hjørner til bestyrelsesmøderne, kæmper Rebecca på alle fronter for et rum, som er hendes eget.

I en virkelighed, hvor tonsvis af tøj, højspændte konfrontationer, ubetalte regninger, Airbnb og kontor-udlejere, der opfører sig som røvhuller, er en del af hverdagen, så er Rebeccas største udfordring i sidste ende, sig selv. Mens Veras vokser sig stor og efterspørgslen bliver større, mister Rebecca bid for bid sig selv i sit arbejde. Hun erkender at for at overleve, må hun skabe et privat rum, hvor hun blot behøver at være Rebecca.

Rebeccas Rum går bag om facaden og portrætterer virkeligheden for en modig og visionær kvinde i et skelsættende år af sit liv. (Line Bilenberg i sin pressemeddelse)

DocsBarcelona: Filmmaker’s Window

3 months ago a state of alarm forced us to leave the office from where we always produce DocsBarcelona. In this context, this edition has been prepared: looking out the window to see the few things that were happening in a world that had completely stopped.

We believe it is important to remember everything we have been through. That is why we have asked directors and friendly directors of DocsBarcelona to share with us how they experienced this confinement beyond the window of their home. Sharing the hard moments, and the beautiful moments, and these looks outward and at the same time inward. We asked them, to the extent that they could and under the conditions we already knew, to send us an audiovisual piece that reflected this moment as only documentaries do.

And now, it seems that everything is being left behind (including this new edition of the Festival that is already ending) we present the result of these pieces, which we have also had the honor and pleasure of preparing for this digital projection with the help of the Victor Kossakovsky, from whom we got the idea through his masterpiece, TISHE. It is thanks to his sensitivity, and to that of Èric Motjer, Laura Àlvarez, Ariadna Seuba, Anna Petrus, Pepe Rodríguez, Alexandre Chartrand, Oscar Moreno and Clare Wiekopf, from the friendly filmmakers who have lent themselves. Now we can open this filmmaker’s window to everything we experienced a few weeks ago around the world. We hope you enjoy it!

The premiere will be next Saturday, May 30th at 12pm (Spanish time). You can follow it through the web or social networks of @DocsBarcelona. Do not miss it!

Photo from  Kossakovsky’s TISHE.

Niels Pagh Andersen at DocsBarcelona

Yesterday a masterclass was held with Danish editor Niels Pagh Andersen in conversation with me. I was happy to see that almost 130 attended the class with ”the Skinny Romantic”, as he has been called by Ai WeiWei, whose ”Vivos” is one of the films at the online DocsBarcelona 2020. The other film at the festival edited by Andersen is Danish ”Songs of Repression” by Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner. The film that won two awards at the Cph:Dox festival recently, produced by Final Cut for Real that also stood behind ”Act of Killing” and ”Look of Silence”, also edited by the storyteller from Hans Christian Andersen’s country.

Among the themes: Emotional dramaturgy, Director and Editor, Holding back Information, Empathy for the characters, Good and Evil, Order in chaos and much much more.

If you were not among the viewers yesterday, you can see and hear by clicking, it’s for free and in (some kind of) English:

https://me.docsbarcelona.com/events/1/live/5

 

The Digital life of the Documentary Industry

Zane Balcus wrote this essay:

New features of something to come were felt in February during Berlinale. Then only a few people were seen on the streets in face masks, but hand disinfectants were regularly provided in the toilets of the European Film Market (and in sufficient amounts for the huge crowds of attendees). In Prague at the beginning of March, the “new reality” arrived in full force during the week of the East Doc Platform (EDP) and One World Film Festival. The festival was suspended due to the ban to gatherings over 100 people. It was painful for those filmmakers who learned only after arriving in the Czech Republic that their film would not be shown in the cinema (like it was for the team of The Earth is Blue as an Orange, who had had so successful start in Sundance, bookings to almost all spring festivals this year (and I’m sure beyond it), which have now moved online). 

Dafilms stepped in and the festival immediately switched from physical space 

 

to digital. EDP’s events continued to take place because their size was within the limits, and this was also the result of an increasing sense of insecurity, as part of the planned guests decided not to come shortly before and even during it. In a couple of days, the rules changed again, and even EDP had to move their last events online. While in Prague, the news were coming in about other events: Zagreb Dox will only hold its industry section online, but will move the festival to a later time, CPH:DOX switched to digital, the same for Thessaloniki, Vilnius.

These developments coincided with the launch of a new international organization, the European Documentary Film Association (DAE). DAE’s intention to bring together documentary professionals came at exactly the right time, as it was needed not only as a place for the exchange of information, but also to support each other at the time when previously established stable structures had suddenly dismantled. The Friday hangouts organized by DAE quickly gained a certain structure – participants meet once a week at zoom and discuss certain topics. The topics resonated to the current situation from various aspects of the industry. I joined the group focusing on the pitching forums – what effect does the current situation have on this essential element of the industry? In some way, the crisis pressured to touch upon issues already present before – the number of pitching platforms, sustainability, accessibility, inclusiveness, can digital form be an asset, or what can’t be done online? After a few weeks of discussions, a document was created with the main conclusions (accessible on DAE’s website).

Several of the arguments in favour of or against digital could be experienced at an online visit to Visions du Réel. Nothing of the constituent components of the festival took place physically. I hadn’t planned to go to Nyon this year, but the possibility of attending the festival online made me join it. During the festival, I focused more on the industry section, specifically Pitching du Réel and Docs in Progress. While watching previously pre-recorded presentations assembled in blocks and streamed to the participants, the missing element was the energy of live event – the ability to feel and evaluate project representatives in the course of the presentation, presentation form, trailer nuances on a high-quality and large screen with good quality sound, the interaction of moderator with pitchers and decision makers, audience reaction. The choice of organisers to show video of pre-recorded presentations or to offer live presentations is, of course, dependent on many factors, including that of the different time zones of project teams and experts. Overcoming potential obstacles, digital can be a solution to adapting to the current situation. But it is important to stress that even though technically a lot of components of the event can be carried over to the digital space, still there is something very important that resists adaptation.

In a digital environment, it is more difficult to integrate the social aspects of events where informal meetings take place – possibility to meet projects and experts outside the official programmes. Online format is perfectly capable of maintaining the form of industry events, but it can’t replicate all content – networking is the missing link. Attempts to create a more informal atmosphere in a digital environment are different: for example, all industry participants of Visions du Réelwere invited to joined the zoom platform before the presentations began. When “I arrived” 6 minutes before the indicated start time, 4 “pages” of people were already there, and soon it increased to 8 pages, with a total of around 200 people. Having light latinomusic in the background, the organizers greeted familiar colleagues whose “entry” into the virtual space they spotted. Element of an informal atmosphere was created also after the awards ceremony – guests were diverted to zoom rooms where to talk with others in manageably small groups. At any time, it was possible to return to the main room and join another room to continue talking again with other people. When one of the guests suddenly vanished from the room I was sent to, I thought it was in some way similar to a situation in a physical reception or happy hour, when you drift from one group of people to another, and can spend like this the whole evening. On the other hand, it highlighted the restrictions of a virtual environment: I cannot see where the person went, I cannot know where I should go to meet some of the familiar people I noticed earlier and with whom I would be happy to chat.

Screening Online

Many questions, different reactions and ambiguous attitudes have also been raised about screening films online. Technically, again, it can be done. But is the small screen the most appropriate form? Festivals are important starting platforms for new films, after one festival they travel to the next, and only gradually reach the small screen on the streaming platform. This natural circle has been affected now by leaving festival organizers and producers in an open dialogue – what is the best solution. Discussions about this topic has been present in almost all public discussion accompanying festivals since the end of March. Festival organisers have made a variety of arguments about how to see the current situation – that it is an opportunity to reassess what the festival mission is (stated by Orwa Nyrabia, IDFA), to reflect on how responsible festivals should be in the context of global climate change, what can we learn and keep from the current situation? I align with the colleagues saying that films should be shown in cinemas, that they need the classical viewing form – people watching film on a large screen together in a darkened auditorium. Digital can exist in parallel, but it should not be the main one.

I was fully having this experience in my first online film festival jury work. The organisers of the goEast festival decided that the festival would take place online – part of the programme in May, part in the later months this year. Along with colleagues from Paris, New York and Berlin (Nino Kirtadze, Darya Zhuk, and Christoph Terhechte), we were watching films online, and in several virtual conversations then discussed our impressions and agreed about the winners. There was no opportunity to spend more time with colleagues, as would be the case if we were attending the festival, and watch films in proper conditions. 

What these two months (short and long in the same time) have shown is the ability to mobilize, adapt, share. This time has significant losses, but also benefits, as well as the awareness that digital solutions in the context of film festivals and industry platforms are here to stay in greater extent than before. This topic will need the next chapter in written form – after some more months will have passed, with having more time to prepare the events in these new circumstances, and more conclusions to make. This also concerns me a lot as someone, who needs to find the “best possible solution” for the Baltic Sea Docs event in September.

Photo: Expert meeting Visions du Réel.

The article is published here with a courtesy of portal Kino Raksti (www.kinoraksti.lv), where it was originally published there on 18 May 2020 in longer form. 

DocsBarcelona Opening 2020

Strange feeling… DocsBarcelona opened last night, online, with the director of it all, Joan Gonzalez (the man in the middle, as toastmaster) calling upon the Head of Program and the Head of Industry to come with comments on what is going to happen. Online. I talked from our garden house in Copenhagen, rain outside – oh, I would have loved to be in Barcelona because of Barcelona, the weather, 25 degrees, the atmosphere and all the good friends in and outside the festival team, and film directors. To sit in a full cinema hall and enjoy.

But… I enjoyed the informal and professional opening, produced by Helena Alabart and her team including filmmaker Eric Motjer as technical boss. Not only the middle aged men above were on screen, Helena was also there as was Salima Jirari, who is running the amazing Documentary of the Month distribution in the empire that Joan Gonzalez has built. Go to www.docsbarcelona.com and you will see what I mean. And there you can see the opening ceremony with clips from the films chosen. An English subtitled version is on its way.

Cut to a quote from Gonzalez from yesterday, interview in Cineuropa, 19.5.20:

 

”There’s no substitute for the big-screen experience, but as history has placed us in this unique situation and we have a plan B – because technology enables us to have one – let’s make the most of it. But let’s not leave a void, and next year we’ll be straight back in the cinemas. I think that the digital world is going to change something: for example, this year, in our industry section, the number of professionals who will be looking for films to support has grown by 50% because it is happening online. That’s why the experience of this edition of DocsBarcelona is going to be very interesting – there will be some elements of it that we’ll keep and others that we’ll leave to one side, I’m sure.”

The festival opening completed, the audience was invited to watch the opening film, “Letter from Masanjia” by Canadian director Leon Lee, screened on TV3, prime time…

It was watched by 264.853! A scoop with the collaboration with the public broadcaster in Catalunya – and a great start on the festival. The online festival is available for people in Spain. Enjoy!

Laila Pakalnina: The First Bridge

“Krāslava bridge is the first bridge built over the river Daugava in the territory of Latvia—a gate for the Daugava river from Belarus to Latvia”, explains Laila Pakalniņa. “Every film is about time, but ours maybe a bit more than others as it was shot on Kodak Eastman Plus-X Negative Film 5231, acquired in the year 1997 and discovered intact in 2018. So, we are dedicating The First Bridge to film stock”.

Words from a director, who again (like she did with ”Spoon”) surprises with static shots by Gints Berzins and adorable sound work by Anrijs Krenbergs put together in a way that invites you to enjoy the study of a bridge from many angles, most often behind withered branches and bushes, close by or from a distance. The Daugava river with calm water movements, a woman walking from right to left within the image, a woman walking from left to right, steps, cars being heard – and (pure beauty) snow where there is no sound and then suddenly you hear the snow sweeping. Berzins and Pakalnina are playing with the angles, drawing lines as if they are inspired by the Russian avantgarde artists?

In the Visions du Réel catalogue the film is chategorised as a social documentary. Well, why not, time stands still, houses are not at their best, the tone and atmosphere are like the short documentaries Pakalnina made in the middle of the 1990’es – example, «The Ferry», «The Post»…Life outside what we normally are invited to see.

Waiting for the next film by Pakalnina and Berzins. 

Latvia, 2020, 12 mins.

DocsBarcelona – The Young Ones

Organised by Núria Campreciós from the DocsBarcelona team, I had a chat with the Young Jury Reteena – who has to decide the “Award to the best film of the Reteena Itinerary, awarded by young jury Reteena, made up of young people between 16 and 21 years old. The prize is a statuette.”

They have 6 films to watch and discuss – online. 5 members have been appointed by the young Reteena festival, that had its second edition in December 2019. My job was to give some hints on how a jury can work, what to look out for, how to decide. I told them that the youth jury at DocsBarcelona, according to me, normally is the most fun to watch and listen to on the stage – well it will be on Zoom this year and they will never meet, alas.

On the photo you see : Upper row Pablo Mérida, uncle Tue, Miriam Laaziz. Middle row Maria Castellví, Mònica Cambra, Oriol Pla. Bottom row Clàudia Mela, Núria Campreciós, Raül Baell.

You can find more information about the jury members on

https://docsbarcelona.com/en/awards/young-jury-reteena-award