DOK Leipzig 2022

Constructed from home videos from the 1990s and early 2000s, Love Is Not An Orange, which world-premiered in Leipzig, paints a fascinating portrait of the impact independence had on Moldova, formerly part of the Soviet Union, a country that struggled to make the transition from communism to capitalism, and all seen through the prism of family relationships.

It’s not often in a doc that you encounter a cross-gender ornithologist (Sergei/Lydia) with an addiction to Twin Peaks (he/she has seen it 30 times) and a desperate need to create a life-size silicon replica of Lara Flynn Boyle, the series heroine. Throw into the mix an engaging elbow fetish and a director’s vain attempts to understand her subject and you have, in a nutshell, the latest film from Sasha Kulak, who talks to BDE.

Head of Industry Nadja Tennstedt fills in Business Doc Europe on what to expect this week during the 65th edition of DOK Leipzig. “We always strive to create a welcoming, efficient and relaxed space for our guests. Emerging talents and seasoned professionals alike come here to meet at eye-level, find collaborators for current projects, forge new connections, get inspired and immerse themselves in the festival and the documentary community.”

DOK Leipzig (17-23 October) is a festival for documentary…and for animated film. Ask artistic director Christoph Terhechte about his choice of opening film for the 65th edition and he suggests that the “animated” part of the proposition is sometimes overlooked. Hence the decision to go for Alain Ughetto’s animated feature No Dogs Or Italians Allowed in 2022.

Five Golden Doves and four Silver Doves to be awarded by the juries of the International Competitions, the German Competitions and the Competition for the Audience Award. The three juries, each comprised of distinguished professionals from the world of film and the arts, along with an audience jury, will be in charge of awarding the prizes. 

Films by Sasha Kulak, Sofía Brockenshire, Mila Turajlić and Nikolaus Geyrhalter are selected for International Competition. Major new docs in German Competition include works by Heinz Emigholz, Katharina Pethke and Brenda Akele Jorde. Competing for the Golden and Silver Doves this year are 74 films, 48 of which are being screened in Leipzig as international or world premieres.

A new initiative in 2022 is the DOK Archive Market during which representatives from the leading European archives and footage libraries will present their collections, licensing costs and access modalities. Additional programme themes include a Ukrainian platform presented in association with Docudays UA and focuses on diversity and representation in the film industry.

With films by Helke Misselwitz, Tamara Trampe, Petra Tschörtner and Angelika Andrees, as well as newly discovered and rediscovered works of GDR film history, the Retrospective includes portraits of institutions, essays and observations of everyday life – including DEFA, university and TV productions dating from the founding of the GDR in 1949 to the year the Wall fell. The 65th DOK Leipzig runs 17-23 October.

DOK Leipzig “emphasises its long-term connection to Eastern Europe” with a programme of current feature-length films offering insights into life in the region’s countries. This year’s retrospective will focus on docs by female filmmakers from the GDR while this year’s homage is dedicated to renowned Serbian documentary filmmaker Mila Turajlić. Emphasis placed on in-person Festival and Industry presentation and attendance in 2022.