STRONG POLISH REPRESENTATION AT DOK LEIPZIG FESTIVAL
Six Polish films in the competition, a review of Polish Puppet Animation and the programme of Polish Docs on the DOK Market are the most important Polish features at the approaching 55th edition of the DOK Leipzig festival.
From 29 October to 5 November the 55th edition of the documentary and animated films festival DOK Leipzig takes place. For several years, numerous Polish films have been invited to the festival. It is not any different this time. As much as six Polish films will compete for the awards in various competition sections at DOK Lepzig:"Entangled" directed by Lidia Duda - the International Documentary Competition
"Losing Sonia" directed by Radek Franczak - the International Young Talent Competition
"Emperor's Toys" directed by Joanna Rusinek, Joanna Wójcik, Jarosław Moździerz, Tomasz Godrfyd, Grzegorz Wierzchowski - the Animated Documentary Competition "Animadoc"
"Paperbox" directed by Zbigniew Czapla - the Animated Documentary Competition "Animadoc"
"What happens when children don't eat soup" directed by Paweł Prewencki - International Animation Competition
"Afternoon" directed by Izabela Plucińska - the New German Animation Competition
For the film "Entangled," the screening in Leipzig will be the international première.
It is a good occasion to call to mind Polish films awarded previously in Lepizig. In 2008, "Till it hurts" by Marcin Koszałka won the Golden Dove award. In 2009, "Chemo" by Paweł Łoziński was given the MDR award, while the film "17th August" by Aleksander Gutman received honourable mention in the short film competition. 2010 brought even more awards. "Vodka Factory" directed by Jerzy Śladkowski, who lives permanently in Sweden, got the Golden Dove award, and "A Piece of summer" by Marta Minorowicz - in the short film category. "North from Calabria" by Marcin Sauter won the ecumenical award and the trade union award ver.di at the 53rd DOK.Leipzig. Last year, the Silver Dove went to "Argentinian lesson" by Wojciech Staroń, and "Phnom Penh Lullaby" by Paweł Kloc got the honourable mention in the Young Talents Competition.
Out of competition, there will be a review of Polish puppet animation "Polish Puppet Animations After 1945." The DOK Leipzig organizers want to honour Polish tradition of puppet animation, because, as they point out, "no other country is so closely connected with puppet animation like Poland." Within the frames of the review, 7 films will be shown - fairy tales for children, as well as music or philosophical films. A retrospective of Władysław Starewicz, the fore-runner of puppet animation, is planned separately. Within its frames, 10 films will be shown in two thematic programmes.
These are not all Polish features at DOK.Leipzig. For several years, the festival has co-operated with Krakow Film Festival, and the special Polish programme at the film fair DOK Market is one of the fruits of this co-operation.
More about the festival on the organizer's website.