The prizes of the 38th DOK.fest München were handed out May 13, with a total of €64,200 in prize money awarded to winners who are listed below, with festival synopses and jury citations.
VIKTOR DOK.international Main Competition (€10,000)
THEATRE OF VIOLENCE by Lukasz Konopa & Emil Langballe.
Synopsis: Dominic Ongwen was kidnapped at the age of nine by Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army and trained as a child soldier. Later, as a commander, he committed unspeakable atrocities. Now he faces charges at the International Court of Justice. Is he entirely responsible for his actions? A psychological study of society and, at the same time, a film about the legal question of criminal responsibility.
Jury statement: “In their carefully constructed film, Emil Langballe and Lukasz Konopa create a more complex space with each new scene in which we, as viewers, ask ourselves question after question about international law in a post-colonial framework, about the challenges of doing justice while threatening to reopen old wounds and about guilt, forgiveness and reconciliation.”
Special mention: ADIEU SAUVAGE by Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento.
VIKTOR DOK.deutsch Wettbewerb (German Comp, €7,500)
GRETA’S BIRTH BY Katja Baumgarten
Synopsis: Greta, a little girl, is stillborn. Four years later, her midwife is on trial for manslaughter. The charge is unusually severe. The court works meticulously. Perceptions and interpretations arise in the reconstruction of Greta’s birth, because social issues are also discussed at the same time as the case. A documentary narrative spanning ten years.
Jury statement: “From an unpretentious and feminist standpoint, she tells the story of a progressive midwife and doctor whose life becomes a nightmare as a result of the trial. We become witnesses to a tendentious and unprecedented verdict that not only destroys an entire existence but also advances long-standing efforts to limit the work of independent midwives. With GRETA’S BIRTH the filmmaker succeeds in making an essential contribution to this highly sensitive topic and impressively demonstrates the social relevance of documentary film work.”
VIKTOR DOK.horizonte Competition – Cinema of Urgency (€5,000)
THE SPECTRE OF BOKO HARAM by Cyrielle Raingou
Synopsis: School, donkey riding, homework, romping around in bed before sleeping. That is what a carefree childhood in northern Cameroon could look like. But instead brothers Ibrahim and Mohammed spend their time talking about what their dead mother looked like and Falta has lost her father in a terror attack. School is guarded by heavily armed soldiers. The threat of Boko Haram is omnipresent.
Jury statement: “The scars left by armed conflicts on individuals are multifaceted, with some being imperceptible at first glance. But how do these wounds manifest themselves? What forms of expression and language do they assume? And how do children, in particular, cope with experiences so traumatic they defy comprehension? Cyrielle Raingou’s debut work captures the devastating impact of the military conflict with Islamist Boko Haram in her home country of Cameroon, imbuing the inexpressible with cinematic expression. Raingou’s young protagonists offer insight into the experience of growing up in a world that is rife with danger, yet still characterised by trust, tenderness, and community.”
Special mention: ETILAAT ROZ by Abbas Rezaie.
FFF Talent Award Documentary Film (€5,000)
Synopsis: SHE CHEF by Melanie Liebheit & Gereon Wetzel
Agnes’ years as a young chef in Europe’s Michelin-starred restaurants are instructive: she convinces the head chefs with her ability, but the pressure is enormous. Can Agnes stand her ground in this male-dominated world? Her self-declared goal is to be the boss in her own restaurant. The directors get right up close to the action in extremely cramped spaces and grant us an insight into new approaches in high-end cuisine.
Jury statement: “In a direct cinema style, always remaining close to the protagonists, the co-director Melanie Liebheit takes the audience behind the scenes of ‘Haute Cuisine’, with an exciting, entertaining narrative approach and clear dramaturgy. Little by Little, different working cultures are revealed and Agnes asks herself how she would like to work in the future: what kind of working environment is important to her? Which is right? And how can you combine family and career? Agnes represents a generation of young women who no longer take a back seat in male domains.”
Click here to see all the awards of the 38th DOK.fest München.
Click here to see all the other awards of the DOK.forum industry platform.
