The winners of the 39th DOK.fest Munich were announced May 11 2024.
The winner of VIKTOR DOK.international Main Competition Award (10,000 euros) was announced as Johatsu – Into Thin Air by Andreas Hartmann und Arata Mori. In the film, Japan’s night moving companies help unfortunate and desperate people to establish new lives. Citation: “We decided to award a film that introduced us to a world and issues we didn’t know existed. One that did so in a deeply empathetic and moving way, while also taking us on an immersive cinematic journey with its intimate – yet far from intrusive – camerawork and evocative music. The filmmakers successfully wove together very complex stories of loneliness, despair and shame – without any sense of judgment.”
The VIKTOR DOK.deutsch Wettbewerb prize (7,500 euros) was won by Zwischen uns Gott by Rebecca Hirneise. Synopsis: More praying, less discussion. That’s how things were always done in the family. Until now. Citation: “The interpretations of faith prove to be less than homogenous as traumas and accounts of injuries and harm emerge. The tension between a search for and lack of comprehension increases and subjective interpretations and the attempt for cinematic objectivity literally go round in circles. Out of necessity, the search for answers becomes a search for filmic form. The more those involved in the discussion elude each other, the more intimate – and productive – the constellations become.”
The VIKTOR DOK.horizonte Competition – Cinema of Urgency prize was revealed as Kamay by Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran. Synopsis: A Hazara student has taken her life. Her parents search for justice. Citation: We would like to reward a previously untold story that sheds light on the heartbreaking events that take place in one family, reflecting the drama of a whole ethnic group. The directors carefully guide the viewer through the grief of the family members, revealing the roots of hundreds of years of oppression. The two directors of Kamay, Ilyas Yourish and Shahrokh Bikaran, are also searching for a unique cinematic language to preserve and represent the culture of the Hazara people and find a considerate and poetic way to make their voices heard.”
The winner of the FFF-Förderpreis Dokumentarfilm (5,000 euros) is Exile Never Ends by Bahar Bektaş.Synopsis: Waiting for deportation: will Taner be able to make a fresh start in Turkey? Citation: “It is rare for a documentary to capture the full complexity of the experience of exile. Exile Never Ends is a remarkable exception because it explores two exiles: of a Kurdish family, who fled persecution from Turkey to Germany, and of the two sons who question their relationship with the country they grew up in. It touches on issues such as generational conflict and the challenges of integration without following an agenda of its own.”
The megaherz Student Award was won by Hausnummer Null by Lilith Kugler. Synopsis: Addicted and homeless – but somehow with a vague goal. What will happen next? Citation: “Hausnummer Null is a courageous film that focuses closely and with a clear view on its protagonist, but also accompanies the important supporting characters through harsh reality with a loving eye. It is an important film because it really engages with this harsh reality that others only glimpse at. And it is also a beautiful film because the camera repeatedly finds images and perspectives that fascinate and gently guide our gaze. Maintaining integrity, going where others look away, having confidence in your own project and never losing it: the director has achieved all of this.”
Other Awards, previously announced at the 39th DOK.fest München are:
- kinokino Audience Award: JENSEITS VON SCHULD by Katharina Köster, Katrin Nemec
- German Documentary Film Music Award: MY STOLEN PLANET by Atena Eshtiaghi
- VFF Documentary Film Production Award: LAND DER VERLORENEN KINDER by Oliver Stoltz
- DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit: A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
- DOK.edit Award: KIX by Yaël Bitton, Károly Szalai
