DOK.fest Munich

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 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.

‘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.

The tousle-haired musical knight Sir Simon Rattle is the focus of Benedikt Schulte’s new documentary world-premiering May 16 in The Sound of Music section of DOK.fest Munich. And given that Rattle is the chief conductor of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has German citizenship, he’ll be there in person to see it. Director Schulte gets musical with BDE.

Eliza Petkova won the The VIKTORIA DOK.international Main Competition for Silent Observers. The VIKTORIA DOK.deutsch winner was named as Wir Erben by Simon Baumann. The VIKTORIA DOK.horizonte Competition – Cinema of Urgency prize went to Rashid, l’enfant de Sinjar by Jasna Krajinovic. A total of 64,200 euros in prize money was awarded. All winners…