The DOK.fest München 2021 @home dedicates an homage to the great Czech filmmaker Helena Třeštíková. At the same time, her latest film ANNY runs in the main competition DOK.international – and was voted best movie by the jury. Helena Třeštíková accepted the VIKTOR of the DOK.international competition in a celebratory digital award ceremony. These are the other winning films of the DOK.fest München 2021 @home:
VIKTOR DOK.deutsch: ZUHURS TÖCHTER / Laurentia Genske, Robin Humboldt
VIKTOR DOK.horizonte: THINGS WE DARE NOT DO / Bruno Santamaría
FFF Talent Award Documentary Film: VÄTER UNSER / Sophie Linnenbaum
megaherz Student Award: THE CASE YOU / Alison Kuhn
DOK.edit Award – presented by Adobe: NEMESIS / Thomas Imbach, David Charap
Adele Kohout (Deputy festival director): ‘It is certainly not an everyday occurrence that a festival is honouring a filmmaker’s lifetime achievement and at the same time, said filmmaker wins the main award. But Helena Třeštíková’s latest, incredibly moving and captivating film ANNY shows us once more the phenomenal filmmaker she is. We’re delighted to be able to show our audience, in addition to the winning film, eight more of her works.’
Daniel Sponsel (Festival director): ‘Even beyond that, the level of this year’s edition of the festival is excellent, which is also shown by our other winning films. I’m happy that our audience in Munich, Bavaria and throughout Germany gets an additional week to discover these works and our whole programme.’
The DOK.fest München 2021 @home continues until 23 May. For the remaining time there will be a Late-Bird festival pass for the reduced price of 50 euros (originally 70 euros). This includes five euros that go directly to the festival’s partner cinemas. Next Friday, 21 May, at 8.00 pm, one more award will be given away: the kinokino Audience Award, sponsored by BR and 3sat. The award ceremony will take place live at www.dokfest-muenchen.de.
The winning films, awards and juries:
VIKTOR DOK.international Main Competition
ANNY
Director: Helena Třeštíková
Who is Anny? A sex worker in post-Soviet Prague on her daily pursuit of happiness. (More information and long description)
From the jury's statement: ‘The beautifully intimate and superbly crafted film ANNY follows its protagonist over 16 years, starting when she is 46 years old and begins working as a sex worker on the streets of Prague to supplement her income as a restroom attendant. Helena Třeštíková masterfully combines this longitudinal approach with a modest film length. Without any gratuitous or superficial moments, Třeštíková treats her seemingly ordinary yet multifaceted protagonist with great respect and care.’
Jury: Dominik Kamalzadeh (Cultural journalist and author, „Der Standard“), Hanka Kastelicová (Vice President of HBO Europe), Lisa Kleiner Chanoff (Co-founder of Catapult Film Fund)
The award is sponsored by Bayerischer Rundfunk and Story House Productions, a company of the Bavaria Film Group, and endowed with 10,000 euros. Nominations are open to films that cover a broad spectrum of content and form and are distinguished by their high artistic quality.
VIKTOR DOK.deutsch
ZUHURS TÖCHTER
Directors: Laurentia Genske, Robin Humboldt
Is there such a thing as ‘real’ girls? Two charismatic trans sisters want to be perceived as such and struggle with the normality of their existence. (More information and long description / film talk)
From the jury's statement: ‘Samar and Lohan long to have a real life. The right life in the right body. The two sisters are trans. In their home country of Syria that would have meant certain death. Talib and his wife Zuhur do not understand their children, but mostly they worry about them. Filmmakers Laurentia Genske and Robin Humboldt show all this with great empathy. Their film follows and documents in the best sense the transwomen's path to the life they hoped for – with all its hurdles and difficulties.’
Jury: Vesna Cudic (Head of MetFilm Sales), Christian Bräuer (Managing Director Yorck Kinogruppe and Chairman of AG Kino), Joana de Sousa (Filmmaker and curator)
Endowed with 5,000 euros. The nominated films deal with people and topics from the German-speaking world.
VIKTOR DOK.horizonte
THINGS WE DARE NOT DO
Director: Bruno Santamaría
Young and transgender in the Mexican province: Arturo’s biggest dream is to finally be able to dress as a woman. (More information and long description / film talk)
From the jury's statement: ‘The jury was mesmerized by the filmmaker’s delicate and caring way of looking at his main characters. Through their daily rituals and deep existential awakenings, the youth counter the heartbreaking realities of life with incredible bravery and a deep desire to, in fact, dare to be themselves. The film culminates in a breathtaking plea for acceptance and love that stayed with the jury long after the credits rolled.’
Jury: Hedva Goldschmidt (Managing Director, Go2Films), Ulla Hocker (Head of Programme & Communication, ARTE Germany), Selin Murat (Head of Industry at Montreal International Documentary Film Festival).
Sponsored by the Petra-Kelly-Stiftung. Endowed with 5,000 euros. The nominated films focus on countries with unstable structures.
FFF Talent Award Documentary Film
VÄTER UNSER
Director: Sophie Linnenbaum
Role model, protector, stranger, victim, offender – six stories about fathers. (More information and long description / film talk)
From the jury's statement: ‘These tales about fathers are funny, sad, shocking, surprising and moving. This is documentary cinema that makes time for its protagonists and that recounts the often distressing and painful but also beautiful and tender moments between daughters and sons and their fathers through people’s faces and words so that intense images are inevitably formed in your mind.’
Jury: Noni Lickleder (Head of Production Management, Department 34 / Film, Television, Radio, Goethe-Institut e.V.), Jörg Schneider (Editor ZDF / Das kleine Fernsehspiel), Roland Teichmann (Director of the Austrian Film Institute)
Sponsored by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, endowed with 5,000 euros, for upcoming Bavarian directors.
megaherz Student Award
THE CASE YOU
Director: Alison Kuhn
In an auditorium, five women break their silence and show: There are no grey areas when it comes to sexual violence. (More information and long description / film talk)
From the jury's statement: ‘The film is impressive in the precision with which it depicts and indicts abuses of power. It is loud and at the same time poignant and impressed us with its relevance, the courage of its protagonists but also its cinematic delivery. The criticism that the film raises is directed not only at the power structures within the film industry but it also points at a significant systemic problem.’
Special Mention: MEIN VIETNAM
Directors: Hien Mai, Tim Ellrich
(More information and long description / film talk)
The jury consisted of the film students Jasmine Alakari (DFFB), Felix Klee (HFF München) and Lisa Polster (Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf).
Endowed with 3,000 euros. First prize for the best student film.
DOK.edit Award – presented by Adobe
NEMESIS
Directors: Thomas Imbach, Editing: Thomas Imbach und David Charap
The demolition of a Swiss freight railway station turns into a swan song to our lack of connection to history and the illusion of total security. (More information and long description / film talk)
From the jury's statement: ‘It was the overall integrity and the composition of the story that convinced us. The quality of the film comes very much from a great editing job that turns a local and personal story into a universal one. It is also through the editing that a number of narrative layers are brought together brilliantly.’
Jury: Peter Indergand (Cinematographer), Mary Stephen (Filmeditor), Ruken Tekes (Human rights expert, Director)
Sponsored by Adobe, endowed with 5,000 euros. Nominated were films with outstanding editing work.
Overview of every award of the DOK.fest München 2021 @home
VIKTOR DOK.international Main Competition: ANNY / Helena Třeštíková
VIKTOR DOK.deutsch: ZUHURS TÖCHTER / Laurentia Genske, Robin Humboldt
VIKTOR DOK.horizonte: THINGS WE DARE NOT DO / Bruno Santamaría
FFF Talent Award Documentary Film: VÄTER UNSER / Sophie Linnenbaum
megaherz Student Award: THE CASE YOU / Alison Kuhn
DOK.edit Award – presented by Adobe: NEMESIS / Thomas Imbach, David Charap
VFF Documentary Film Production Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER / Frank Müller, Guevara Namer, Antonia Kilian (already awarded previously, more information)
German Documentary Film Music Award: SOLDATEN / Christoph Schauer (already awarded previously, more information)
DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit: SCHOOL OF HOPE / Mohamed El Aboudi (already awarded previously, more information)
Further information on the five awards of the industry platform DOK.forum can be found here.
