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The two festivals may run concurrently, but that is no hindrance to Polish docmakers who are out in force this year at both Ji.hlava IDFF and DOK Leipzig. Seven Polish productions have been selected for the Czech docfest, while eight projects are pitched in Leipzig, in addition to a basketful of selections in the festival program. (Still: Trains by Maciej J. Drygas)

Fossil Matter follows twin scientific endeavours undertaken within a natural history museum in southern Patagonia; firstly, to excavate an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile from the Cretaceous period, and secondly to retrieve the carcass of a whale stranded on the shores of Tierra del Fuego. It’s “a project rooted in the far south that involves scientists, artists, historians, and filmmakers who are convinced that research - across all its disciplinary expressions - can be a step toward rewriting the story of southern Patagonia and envisioning possible futures for the planet,” Panizza tells BDE.

The Best International Competition Film was awarded to The Night Is Fading Away by Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini (Argentina). The International Competition Jury Award went to Tell Me a Fairy Tale by Ebrû Avci (Turkey), while the Jury Award for Best International Competition Director was won by Fantasy by Isabel Pagliai (France). The Doclisboa Award for Best Portuguese Competition Film was picked by Água Mãe, by Hiroatsu Suzuki and Rossana Torres.

Located in the east-German city of Halle, Kindesmutter tells the story of Anne who became a mother at the age of 17. Her daughter Leonie (now 14) runs the risks of taking the same path of drug addiction. To break the cycle, Anne determines to change her life, but can she become the role model her daughter needs before it’s too late? “While the film is rooted in the social realities of Eastern Germany, Anne’s struggle to break cycles of poverty, addiction, and stigma speaks to universal experiences of motherhood, resilience, and hope,” producer Friedemann Hottenbacher tells BDE.

Kim Hess’s There You Go follows new ballet director Demis Volpi during his first season at the Hamburg State Opera, after the departure of legend John Neumeier who, over the previous 50 years, had turned the Hamburg Ballet into an internationally renowned company. “What began as a portrait of a promising new beginning has, in a few months, become a chronicle of a historic cultural conflict,” producer Lotta Schmelzer tells BDE.

The feature doc project Finding Connection investigates the extent to which AI can provide help and comfort to folk who cannot receive these via human contact. “As AI increasingly mimics empathy, people turn to it not just for information, but for companionship and emotional support,” producer Martin Schwimmer tells BDE. “The film probes urgent questions about loneliness, authenticity, and what it means to form connections in a world where the line between human and machine is fading.”

The Respekt Award for the best audiovisual reportage on a political or social topic – went to Černá práce (Black Work) from Czech Television’s Reportéři ČT series. The Documentary Book Award, presented for the fifth time, was handed to Petr Třešňák for his book Důstojnost (Dignity), while in the Short Joy category, the winning film is wedLOCK tradWIFE by Austrian director Gabriele Neudecker.

Industry chief Nadja Tennstedt fills in BDE on what professionals can expect over the coming week, during the 68th edition of DOK Leipzig. This year, a record number of 391 projects were submitted for the DOK Co-Pro Market, of which 35 were chosen, and funders, broadcasters and sales agents were alerted in advance to the projects and filmmakers they may wish to focus on, and vice versa. “That’s how we schedule over 900 meetings that take place over the course of two days,” Tennstedt affirms to BDE.

The Irish-Scottish filmmaker will turn the January 17 event into "a live film-essay," working in close collaboration with film composer Dascha Dauenhauer and stage director Robert Lehniger. “I love playing with the form of film events, so I jumped at the chance to be part of the European Film Awards' evening,” says Cousins. “We hope to have some surprises. We'll try to conjure cinematic images, emotions and ideas.”

In an abandoned building in Lisbon, young people build a community, where art, affection, and resistance intertwine in a collective struggle for the right to housing. Meanwhile, like a Greek chorus, the choir of the Kantata of the Uncertain Roof sing songs of protest against housing injustice. “I’ve followed movements claiming the right to space in contexts from Mexico and Costa Rica to Rome and Lisbon,” says director Claudio Carbone. “In each project, I try to reflect on the everyday lives and collective desires of communities that resist displacement and alienation.”