Nick Cunningham

In Maria João Guardão’s documentary, an eviction notice served to leading dance choreographer João Fiadeiro, demanding that he vacate the Lisbon property that has served both as a dance studio and gathering place for artists for the past 30 years, sets in motion a poignant yet joyous month of farewells, reminiscences and artistic endeavour.

The €5000 prize was given for Alambeigi’s project Broken Flower on 25 October, the opening night of DOK Leipzig 2021. In addition, the Silver Dove awarded to Dutch filmmaker Vincent Monnikendam for his Mother Dao, the Turtlelike, which was first awarded the prize in 1995 but which the director can now finally receive. The film is selected for the Re-Visions series.

“Business will come to those that are brave,” explains Ji.hlava IDFF’s Marek Hovorka on the extra emphasis placed this year on experimentation, heightened artistic approach and new talent, as evidenced both by the festival’s New Visions programme of 21 highly diverse European and US projects and the fact that half the main competition selections are by debut filmmakers.

Andrea Slovakova guides Business Doc Europe through Ji.hlava 2021’s wide-ranging Fascinations experimental programme, the centrepiece of which comprises a (re)discovery of the Romanian avant-garde and its practitioners who were creating brilliant and challenging film works behind the Iron Curtain from the 1960s through to its fall.

Ever since domiciles within Lisbon’s 'bairros' started to be let for Airbnb rental, neighbourhood cohesion has suffered. So when, in 2020, the pandemic put the brakes on tourism, large parts of the Portuguese capital were turned into a ghost town. “That’s what this is, a film about ghosts,” explains the director to Business Doc Europe.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated doc 'Flee' is selected as Denmark's submission in the International Feature Film category for the 2022 Academy Awards. “The reception of Flee has been overwhelming since it premiered at Sundance,” says Claus Ladegaard, DFI CEO and Chair of the selection committee. “The committee is convinced that Flee can continue its impressive international journey on the back of its powerful theme and original form."

Five new Polish documentary projects to be presented at the leading German doc event. In addition, two competing Polish feature docs (plus one animation), including Bucolic in International Competition. One doc (Light Years by Monika Proba) will compete for Best Short Film, as will two documentary animations.

Leipzig’s five-day DOK Industry event kicks off 25 October with a programme designed to support filmmakers and their projects/films from inception to festival roll-out and eventual release, and everything in-between. New programme head Nadja Tennstedt tells Business Doc Europe what to expect.

DOK Leipzig director Christoph Terhechte is pretty much delighted that docs are back in cinemas and on the big screen where they belong, away from all the distractions of the living room, such as texts that have to be read, coffee that has to be made, knocks on the front door that have to be answered. “I don't think cinema and multitasking are compatible,” he confides to Business Doc Europe.

Arami Ullón's second feature Nothing But The Sun (Apenas El Sol) has been selected by the Paraguayan Academy of Cinematographic Arts and as the official entry to represent Paraguay at the upcoming Academy Awards. The Paraguayan-Swiss production, which opened IDFA in 2020, will receive its domestic theatrical release from October 28, 2021.