News

Alain Gomis’ documentary on Thelonious Monk, which world-premiered in Berlinale Forum, is like a diamond in the rough, unpolished but of incredible valuable, showing the legendary jazz musician in his truest form. It depicts a man who doesn’t care about presence, fame and glory, interpretations of his music, or others' opinions. He just cares about music.

Infiltrating the highly secretive diamond industry, the Jason Kohn doc uncovers a threat to the lucrative trade that could devalue every diamond ever mined, effectively destroying the universal symbol of love and commitment. Dogwoof will present to buyers at MipTV. Showtime holds worldwide rights and will air the film in the USA and Canada, with a North American Premiere at SXSW.

There may be no DocSalon at EFM 2022, but today (Feb 15) the focus is on Archive, albeit scaled down from previous years. Experts Adelheid Heftberger (Bundesarchiv), Simon Witter (British Pathé) and researcher/producers Monika Preischl and Elizabeth Klinck preview today's events and explain to Business Doc Europe how the past two years have been a boom time for the sector.

Seldom is a hybrid documentary as clear-cut as Une fleur à la bouche by French director Éric Baudelaire, world-premiering in Berlin Forum. Preceded by images of the world’s largest flower market, a 1923 play by Pirandello suddenly appears as a reflection on the nature of documentaries. Are they, in essence, escapist distractions? Or rather, reminders of the value of life?

Al Jazeera Balkans International Documentary Film Festival (AJB DOC) has put out the call to makers and production companies to submit their films for its fifth edition, which will take place in Sarajevo 9-13 September 2022. The AJB DOC Film Festival is organized by TV broadcaster Al Jazeera Balkans in cooperation with Al Jazeera Media Network and Al Jazeera Media Institute in Doha. Submission deadline: May 25.

Like so many documentaries made over the past few years, the spectre of Covid hangs over Constantin Wulff’s For the Many: The Vienna Chamber of Labour. But in this instance it actually helps to reinforce the good works and compassionate intent of the Chamber of Labour (AK), as this official legal representative for employees acts as the daily point of contact for people who are fighting for their rights within the workplace.

Filmmakers Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier offer an intriguing look behind the plaster dust and scaffolding of New York's iconic Chelsea Hotel as they talk with a handful of the remaining residents, all frustrated and often angry about having to live in a building site, but all aware of their part and place in the story of this bohemian institution.

The first thing to note about Everything Will Be OK, world-premiering in Berlinale Competition, is that you will have never seen anything quite like it. And that in itself should be enough to make you want to experience the latest work by Cambodia’s leading arthouse filmmaker, in which animals in the near future have taken over the role of totalitarian tyrants that we, as humans, have so far reserved for ourselves.

Young love has been a mainstay of film and television drama for many years, but rarely, if ever, has it made the transition to documentary. The delicate, challenging and complex emotions that define young love are at the gentle heart of this film from Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes, a hybrid film that is honest and subtly moving without ever being exploitative or traumatic.

As the song goes, diamonds are forever…but are they? They may well represent the grandest of romantic gestures and are often priced as the most expensive bauble a person might own, but as Jason Kohn’s fascinating and provocative documentary examines, the little-discussed infiltration of the jewellery market by synthetic diamonds could have massive implications in years to come.