The wars and crises in the world are reflected in the program of this year's DOK Leipzig documentary film festival. Various films are dedicated to Ukraine or Syria, but also to the long-term consequences of the Caucasus or Bosnian wars, as the organizers announced. The festival will be held from October 28 to November 3.
In contrast, films dealing with the current situation in the Middle East since the Hamas terror attack on Israel are not represented, said festival director Christoph Terhechte. "The films we saw did not seem suitable." They were knitted with too hot a needle. However, the festival program includes several films that deal with the Middle East conflict in general.
Film selection as diverse as the world
A total of 209 films and extended reality projects will be shown during the documentary film week. They were selected from more than 3,350 submissions. A total of 73 films will be screened in the four competitions for the Golden and Silver Doves. 33 of them will celebrate their world premiere in Leipzig. In general, the films are difficult to reduce to a common denominator, said Terhechte. They are testimonies to a multi-layered world.
The festival will open with the film "Tracing Light" by Thomas Riedelsheimer. This is a reunion with an old acquaintance: 20 years ago, a documentary film festival opened with a film by Riedelheimer, at that time "Touch the Sound", in which he accompanied a percussionist.
Memory of Thomas Heise
Aside from the competitions, various retrospectives and tributes are part of the DOK Leipzig program. One of these honors Thomas Heise, who died this year, one of the most important documentary filmmakers in post-war Germany, who initially worked in the GDR and later made a name for himself in reunified Germany.
The Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film is entering its 67th edition. Founded in 1955, it is the oldest documentary film festival in the world, according to the organizers.
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