DokuFest (Kosovo) has announced the full slate of films in competition for its 25th jubilee edition, running 7 to 15 August. The programming team has selected 104 films across eight competition sections from a record number of 3687 submissions, with many enjoying World, International and European premieres. This confirms DokuFest as “an important launching pad for both documentary and narrative short films in this part of the world,” write organisers.
“With the selection, DokuFest continues the tradition of bringing the freshest and boldest films of the year, whilst at the same time looking at some of the most pressing and urgent global issues through these films,” organisers add. “We are thrilled to feature an incredible lineup of emerging filmmakers this year, and we can’t wait to see how our audience reacts to their ground-breaking work.”
Veton Nurkollari, Artistic Director of DokuFest, comments: “The moment to finally share the selection of films in competition has arrived and I am overjoyed to be able to share so many films we cared so much for quite some time, films that surprised us and those that deeply moved us. But above all, films that reflect the troubled world that we live in. Because the world is on fire and many filmmakers respond to this cataclysmic moment with films that somehow burst with fire too, be it about the element itself, about the devasting effects to the communities that raging wars create or leave behind, about the forest defenders and police militarization, or about the heat of the desert and rapid decline of glaciers. Fire is everywhere and documentary filmmakers from around the world bring stories about all this with grace and dignity that are almost unmatched.”
Samir Karahoda, head of the Short Film Program of DokuFest adds: “This year as well, DokuFest continues to bring authors who challenge storytelling formats and invite us to see the world from new perspectives. At a time when the world is changing at a rapid pace, the short film remains the space where authors dare to experiment, tackle sensitive themes, and question the reality that surrounds them. This year’s selection brings together voices from different countries, urging us to watch with greater attention and deeply understand the times we live in. The International Short Film Competition and the National Competition prove that the short film remains one of the boldest forms of expression in contemporary cinema.”
Over common days, DokuFest will make further programme announcements, including its View from the World section, a Country in Focus program, jury members, as well as a host of other specially curated programs, panel discussions, talks, master classes and music acts that will perform at the festival.
DokuFest runs from 7 to 15 August in venues within the historic city center of Prizren, as well as at Abi Qarshia cinemas.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOX
- Amilcar Director: Miguel Eek / Producers: Luis Miguel Correia, Marie Dumoulin, Mario Adamson, Miguel Eek, Natacha Ceuninck / Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden, Cape Verde
- An Incomplete Calendar Director: Sanaz Sohrabi / Producers: Burak Çevik, Sanaz Sohrabi / Canada, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela
- Closure (Bez końca) Director: Michał Marczak / Producers: Karolina Marczak, Katarzyna Szczerba, Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety / Poland, France
- Dream of Another Summer Director: Irene Bartolomé / Producer: Elie Kamal, Irene Bartolomé, Pere Marzo / Spain, Lebanon
- From Dawn to Dawn (La noche de la infancia) Director: Xisi Sofia Ye Chen / Producers: Camila Montaldo, Leonor Abreu, Luis Ferrón, Marina Perales Marhuenda, Marta LaCima, Pedro Palacios, Ran Shao, Ricard Sales, Xavier Rocher / Spain, France
- Into the Jaws of the Ogre (Dans la gueule de l’ogre) Director: Mahsa Karampour / Producer: Mathilde Raczymow / France
- London Director: Sebastian Brameshuber / Producers: David Bohun, Lixi Frank / Austria
- Paikar Director: Dawood Hilmandi / Producer: Frank Hoeve, Katja Draaijer / Netherlands
- The Calf Doll (खाल बछड़ा) Director: Ankur Hooda / Producers: Anish Sarai, Ankur Hooda, Ayushi Gupta / India
- Whispers in May Director: Dongnan Chen / Producers: Jia Zhao, Kay Xu / Hong Kong SAR China, Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea
BALKAN FEATURE DOX
- 2M² Director: Volkan Üce / Producers: Claus Herzog-Reichel, Hans Everaert, Harry Flöter, Jörg Siepmann, Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay / Germany, Belgium, Turkey
- A State Film Director: Roland Sejko / Producers: Marlon Pellegrini, Maura Cosenza / Italy
- As the Spring Arrives, Water Recalls the Nomads (Geldikçe Bahar) Director: Dilşad Aladağ / Producer: Burak Çevik / Turkey
- Peacemaker (Mirotvorac) Director: Ivan Ramljak / Producer: Nenad Puhovski / Croatia
- Something Familiar Director: Rachel Taparjan / Producers: Aleksandra Bilic, Elena Martin, Monica Lazurean-Gorgan / Romania, United Kingdom
- Sunset (Zalazak) Director: Miloš Jaćimović / Producers: Boris T. Matić, Jelena Mitrović, Jelena Angelovski, Vanja Kovačević / Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia
- The Dream & The Lie Director: Elena Dorfman / Producers: Elena Dorfman, Paul O’Bryan / United States
- The Thing to Be Done (Ono što treba činiti) Director: Srđan Kovačević / Producer: Sabina Krešić / Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia
- Yugo Goes America (Yugo ide u Ameriku) Director: Aleksa Borković, Filip Grujić / Producer: Carna Vucinic, Vanja Jambrović / Croatia, Serbia
HUMAN RIGHTS DOX
- A City in the Forest Director: Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber / Producer: Ike Rofe / United States
- A Fox Under a Pink Moon (روباه و ماه صورتی) Director: Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhlaghi Producer: Mehrdad Oskouei / Iran, France
- Amazomania Director: Nathan Grossman / Producer: Cecilia Nessen / Sweden, Denmark, France
- American Doctor Director: Poh Si Teng / Producer: Kirstine Barfod, Poh Si Teng, Reem Haddad / United States, Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark
- Meanwhile in Namibia Director: Jonas Spriestersbach / Producer: Jonas Spriestersbach / Germany, Namibia
- The Clearing Director: Sabine Groenewegen / Producer: Manon Bovenkerk / Netherlands, Indonesia
- The Phantom Pain of Rojave Director: Maryam Ebrahimi / Producer: Stina Gardell / Sweden, Norway
- Traces Director: Alisa Kovalenko / Producers: Natalia Libet, Olha Bregman / Ukraine, Poland
GREEN DOX
- Derek vs Derek Director: James Damer Dawson / Producer: Serena Kennedy / United Kingdom
- Fire, Water, Earth, Air Director: Phie Ambo / Producer: Rikke Tambo Andersen / Denmark, Sweden. Faroe Islands, Norway
- Heat Director: Jacqueline Zünd / Producer: Louis Mataré / Switzerland
- Krakatoa Director: Carlos Casas / Producers: Beli Martínez, Carlos Casas, Elena Hill, Helena Giron, Krzysztof Dabrowski, Samuel M. Delgado / Country: Spain, Poland, United Kingdom, France
- Kukata Miti Director: Daniel Kötter / Producer: Daniel Kötter / Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany, Indonesia
- Nuisance Bear Director: Jack Weisman / Producers: Michael Code, Teddy Leifer, Will N. Miller / United Kingdom, United States, Canada
- The Price of the Sun (Du soleil et du plomb) Director: Jérôme le Maire / Producers: Camille Laemlé, Hanne Phlypo, Isabelle Truc, Khadija Alami / Belgium, France, Morocco
- Time and Water Director: Sara Dosa / Producers: Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry, Sara Dosa, Shane Boris / United States, Iceland
NATIONAL
- Adem Director: Edona Ademi / Producers: Edona Ademi, Rina Celina / Germany, Kosovo
- All Good (Kaikki hyvin) Director: Basha Troni / Producer: Basha Troni / Finland
- angel777 Director: Brilant Pireva, Producers: Blerta Ismaili, Tristan Halilaj / Kosovo
- Antimuseum (Antimuzeu) Director: Renis Hyka / Producer: Arnen Sula / Albania
- Berna’s Eyes (Sytë e Bernës) Director: Ermal Gërdovci / Producer: Trëndelina Halili / Kosovo
- Dance (Valle) Director: Hana Bucalija / Producer: Ismet Sijarina / Kosovo
- Farewell until a free Kosova (Mirupafshim në Kosovën e lirë) Director: Durim Klaiqi / Producers: Artit Bytyci, Lendita Idrizi / Kosovo, Germany
- From 6 to 5 (Prej 6-ve në 5) Director: Erlisë Beqiri / Producer: Ardian Dubova / Kosovo
- Keep going Director: Valmira Hyseni / Producers: Valmira Hyseni, Zgjim Terziqi / Kosovo
- Language of the Diaspora (Gjuha e diasporës) Director: Diell Curri / Producer: Volko Kamensky / Switzerland
- Searching for Poetry Director: Lorin Terezi / Producers: Arnen Sula, Eduardo M. Escribano / Albania
- Stolen Life Director: Viron Roboci / Producers: Besmira Pelushaj, Viron Roboci / Albania
- The Gelina of Ribnovo Director: Valon Ballabani / Producers: Alex Kurunis, Valon Ballabani / United Kingdom, Bulgaria
- Two Lives in Tight Socks (Dy jetë në corape të ngushta) Director: Besim Ugzmajli / Producers: Besim Ugzmajli, Rilindje Sadiku / Kosovo
- Wet Soil (Tokë e lagët) Director: Jon Brovina / Producer: Jon Brovina / United States
INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOX
- An Impossible Address Director: Suneil Sanzgiri / Producer: Suneil Sanzgiri / Angola, India, United States
- Chuuraa Director: Evgenia Arbugaeva / Producer: Evgenia Arbugaeva / United Kingdom
- Compact Disc Director: Rico Yiu / Producers: Hau-chun Chan, Jessie Yang / Hong Kong SAR China, United Kingdom
- Dragica, Danica, Duška / or / When Zora, the Goddess of Dawn, Opens the Gates of Heaven for Sun to Emerge Director: Iva Radivojević / Producer: Iva Radivojević / Kosovo, United States
- Elegy for the Forgotten, on an Endless War (مرثیهای برای فراموششدگان، در باب جنگی بیپایان) Director: Bani Khoshnoudi / Producer: Bani Khoshnoudi / Iran, France
- Escalation Director: AJ Schnack / Producer: Shirley Moyers / United States
- Forgotten Spaceman (Hershewe Fazanawerd) Director: Elham Ehsas / Producers: Elham Ehsas, Lorraine Bhattachary / Afghanistan, United Kingdom
- I couldn’t draw you a map Director: Yaela Gorrlieb / Producers: Miljana Dunđerin, Yaela Gottlieb / Germany, Kosovo
- kiss kiss bang bang (kus kus beng beng) Director: Ollie Launspach / Producers: Isa Sluis, Swaantje Kooijmans / Netherlands
- Miriam Director: Karla Condado / Producer: Karla Condado, León Boltvinik / Mexico
- Normal Planet Directors: Ekiem Barbie, Guilhem Causse, Quentin L’helgoualc’h / Producer: Boris Garavini / France
- Pacifico Director: Daniel Duque / Producer: Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains / Colombia, France
- Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon Director: Bill Morrison / Producers: Bill Morrison, Jamie Kalven, María Inés Zamudio / United States
- Singing of the Evening Stars Director: Iris Sang / Producer: Eneos Çarka, Iris Sang / China, Estonia, United States
- Two Pids Director: John Smith / Producer: John Smith / United Kingdom
BALKAN SHORT DOX
- 3 Generations (3 Gjenerata) Director: Alberta Sinani / Producer: Alberta Sinani / Austria, Kosovo
- Butterfly (Leptir) Director: Sara Stijović / Producer: Sara Stijović / Montenegro
- Closure Director: Zulfikar Filandra / Producer: Zulfikar Filandra / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany
- Goats! (Koze!) Director: Tonči Gačina / Producer: Tibor Keser / Croatia
- Leave This Room Buried (Ovu sobu ostavite zakopanu) Director: Iva Kraljević / Producers: Igor Grubić, Marijana Veljović / Croatia
- Letters from Home Director: Ibro Hasanović / Producer: Ibro Hasanović / Bosnia and Herzegovina, France
- Mother Company Director: Alexander Raptotasios, Konstantinos Thomaidis / Producers: Alexander Raptotasios, Konstantinos Thomaidis / Greece
- SLET 1988 Director: Marta Popivoda / Producer: Zsofia Lili Kovacs / Serbia
- The Divine Feminine (Žene Narodnog fronta) Director: Ivana Todorovic / Producer: Ivana Todorovic / Serbia
- The Other Spring Director: Monica Maria Moraru / Producer: Monica Maria Moraru / Romania, Canada
- This Desirable Device (Ovaj poželjni stroj) Director: Mina Simendić / Producer: Mina Simendić / Serbia, Germany
- Towards where to breath Director: Stefan Pavlović / Producer: Stefan Pavlović / Netherlands
- White Veil (Bela Koprena) Director: Žiga Ciber / Producer: National Film School at IADT, Žiga Ciber / Ireland, Slovenia
INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
- A Few Things Happening by a River (Algumas Coisas Que Acontecem Ao Lado De Um Rio) Director: Daniel Soares / Producers: Daniel Soares, Luís Urbano, Mouloud Ouyahia, Romina Orsini, Sandro Aguilar, Thaddeus Christandl / Portugal, France
- A Train Leaves the Station Director: Mahmoud Ibrahim / Producer: Mahmoud Ibrahim / Egypt
- Ali Director: Adnan Al Rajeev / Producers: Kristine De Leon, Tanveer Hossain / Bangladesh, Philippines
- Always wanted to be God, never wanted to do good Director: Noa Epars / Producer: Anita Hugi / Switzerland
- Bad Ideas (Zle Pomysly) Director: Jan Bujnowski / Producer: Iga Malińska, Jan Bujnowski / Poland
- Couto Director: Flávio Ferreira / Producer: Bernardo Lopes / Portugal
- Detach Director: Danielle Kaganov / Producers: Elodie Waittaux, Luc Jerome Bailleul / France
- Faux Bjioux Director: Jessy Moussallem / Producer: Jean-Baptiste Savary, Olivier Muller / France, Lebanon
- For The Opponents (Para Los Contrincantes) Director: Federico Luis / Producer: Augusto Matte, Elena Fortes, Fernanda de la Peza, Fernando Bascuñán / Mexico, Chile, France, United Kingdom
- Fresh Cut (Nouvel Hair) Director: Hadrien Bels / Producers: Julien Manunta, Manuel Chiche, Matthieu Berenguer, Violaine Barbaroux, Xinyu Zhou / France
- Habibi Director: Alexey Evstigneev / Producers: Clémence Crépin Neel, Igor Courtecuisse / France
- I can’t think of anything right now (ما بين وبين) Director: Hussen Ibraheem / Producers: Constanza Schmidt, Hussen Ibraheem / Lebanon, Germany
- Imagine Me Like a Country of Love (تخيلني وطن من الحب) Director: Thana Faroq / Producers: Ruba Al Sharki, Thana Faroq / Qatar, Yemen
- It lives Under the Snow Director: Igor Smola / Producers: Alvin Lee, Emil Najafov / Azerbaijan, Singapore
- Kleptomania (Di San Xian) Director: Jingkai Qu / Producer: Jianing Wen / China
- Norheimsund Director: Ana A. Alpizar / Producer: Ana A. Alpizar, Madeline Rose Finkel / Cuba, United States
- Pankaja Director: Anooya Swamy / Producer: Anooya Swamy, Archana Swamy, Nakirekanti Swamy, Vindhya Gupta / India, United States
- Robin in the Hood Director: Kristin Vollset / Producers: Edwina Forkin, Glen Hansard, John Kaare Hoversholm / Ireland, Norway
- Scraps (Skråbock) Director: Emily Norling / Producer: Melissa Lindgren / Sweden
- SightNotSeeing Director: Sheungman YIM / Producers: Sheungman YIM, Whitney Ka Wan YIU / Hong Kong SAR China, United Kingdom
- Stallion and a Crystal Ball (Stallion y la Bola de Cristal) Director: Christian Avilés / Producers: Christian Avilés, Manuel G. Romero / Spain
- Tarik Director: Adem Tutić / Producers: Adem Tutić, Tamara Tomašević / Serbia
- The Weary Hours of Two Lab Assistants (İki Laborantın Yorgun Saatleri) Director: Burak Çevik / Producer: Burak Çevik, Denizcan Ünal, Kanat Doğramacı, Nuri Cem Erbak, Stjepan Hundic, Vanja Vascarac / Turkey, United Kingdom, Germany, Croatia
- Tuesday or Thursday (Utorak ili četvrtak) Director: Dušan Kasalica / Producers: Dušan Kasalica, Jelena Angelovski / Montenegro
- Venezia Diorama Director: Nicolas Piret / Producer: David Grançon / Belgium
- We Were Here Director: Pranav Bhasin / Producer: Yash Gonsai / India
- Whispers of a Burning Scent Director: Mo Harawe / Producer: Mo Harawe / Somalia, Austria, Germany
