DOK.fest Munich

‘Can you swallow a truck? It’s the question kids often ask folks visiting the remote northern village of Kangiqsualujjuaq, situated on Inuit reserved land in Nunavik, Canada, over 900 miles from Montreal. The question gives them a clue as to how to pronounce the very long name of the village correctly. German filmmaker Marie Zrenner, who went there to make her debut film world-premiering in DOK.Fest Munich, talks to BDE.

For the 40th edition of DOK.fest Munich, new director Adele Kohout will be sharing executive duties with outgoing director Daniel Sponsel who is standing down after the festival. “What is our mission? It is basically to create dialogue, to be open and propose ideas, propose perspectives, and to stay in touch with all different fragments of society, especially when it comes to the democracy issues that we are all being challenged right now,” Kohout tells BDE.

Primadonna Or Nothing (a world premiere at DOK.fest Munich) focuses on three top-level opera singers at very different stages of their careers, but all of whom share the same willingness to make huge sacrifices in pursuit of their careers. “A singer is not able to hide behind her instrument. A pianist or a violinist, they have their instrument…but the voice is so personal,” director Sauter tells BDE. “That’s why I decided that opera, and singing especially, was something that I would like to show.” (Section: The Sound of Music)

For his new feature doc, director Stefan Sick spent two years following his four troubled subjects - Leni, Eleyna, Lena and Lisann - within a residential home, shooting over a period of 80 days. Neither a parent or a care worker, Sick was able to gain the girls’ trust from the word go. “I was something in-between. That allowed for a special kind of connection …they are often starved of recognition. For a while, during shooting, I was able to offer them exactly that.”

For its 40th anniversary edition, DOK.fest Munich (May 7 to 18) will present three competition and 16 thematic film sections. The festival will open with Friendly Fire by Klaus Fried (Germany). Other world premieres in DOK.international Competition include In Hell with Ivo by Kristina Nikolova (Bulgaria) and Ice Grave by Robin Hunzinger (Finland, France, Sweden). “Our aim is to maximise participation…DOK.fest München stays dual!” the festival adds of its online programme that runs 12-25 May.

The award honours German and international documentary film productions in which filmmakers with disabilities play a leading role. The prize is sponsored by the Werksviertel-Mitte Stiftung and comes with a cash endowment of 5,000 euros. The closing date for entries is 3 February 2025. The 40th edition of DOK.fest Munich runs May 7-18 2025.