International Documentary Film Festival ELBE DOCK will be taking place May 28th to June 2nd in Ústí nad Labem. Five Czech documentary feature debuts and five short student films will compete for the 13th Pavel Koutecký Award. For the first time the ELBE DOCK Award with financial prize of €4,000 will be given to one of the eight nominated Central Europen films by debuting directors.
Over the Limit (directed by Marta Prus, Poland, Germany, Finland) offers a peek behind the scenes of modern gymnastics. For her intimate portrait of a young Russian gymnast, the director has received awards at many international festivals (e.g. the Audience Award and the Best Film Award at the Krakow Film Festival and the Direction Award at ZagrebDox in Croatia). The successful documentary was part of Ex Oriente Film workshop in 2015. The producer Maciej Kubicki will be present in Ústí nad Labem.
The Last Self-Portrait (directed by Marek Kuboš, Slovakia) describes the inability to get rid of the writer’s block and the urgent need to return to the roots. The film won the Special Jury Award at the Ji.hlava IDFF. Marek Kuboš will be present at the screening.
Home Games (directed by Alisa Kovalenko, Ukraine, Poland, France) portrays a girl’s struggle between the care for her young siblings and the opportunity to fulfil her dreams. Will the passion for football save a 20-year-old Kiev girl from poverty? The film, which is part of East Silver Caravan, will be presented by its producer Stephane Siohan.
A Woman Captured (directed by Bernadett Tuza-Ritter, Hungary, Germany) reveals the raw truth about the victims of modern slavery. It has received positive reviews from the audience at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is screened as part of KineDok's alternative distribution programme in 2019.
The other half of the nominated films is being screened in the Czech Republic for the first time. The following films will premiere at the ELBE DOCK:
Closing Time (directed by Nicole Vögele, Switzerland, Germany) uncovers colourful sceneries in a Taiwanese bistro and beyond its walls. The film won two awards at the Locarno International Festival.
Diagnosis (directed by Ewa Podgórska, Poland) is a journey into the depths of a city's subconscious mind created by people. It examines pleasures and exhaustion from life in a city that never sleeps. Among others, the film won the Best Editing Award at the Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer, Russia, 2019. Ewa Podgórska will be present at the screening.
Are You Sleeping, Brother Jakob? (directed by Stefan Bohun, Austria) Four brothers travel to the past to the top of the Tyrolean Mountains in an effort to understand and cope with their fifth brother's suicide. A personal film has recently won the Audience Award at the Moscow International Documentary Film Festival and an award at the Trento FF. The director Stefan Bohun and producer David Bohun will be guests of the festival.
Born in Evin (directed by Maryam Zaree, Austria, Germany) In the film, the director reveals the horrors of the past, which are not easy to forget. The film received an award at the Berlinale Festival and had its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Festival in Canada. The director will be present at the festival.