FILMS BY FABW AND ITS GRADUATES AT DOK LEIPZIG

From 28 October to 3 November, the 67th edition of DOK Leipzig, the prestigious International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, will take place. Competing in the German Documentary Film Competition is MORIA SIX (directed by Jennifer Mallmann*), a production from Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, vying for the coveted Golden Dove, which comes with a €10,000 prize. In the Young Eyes section, aimed at school children and young audiences aged 12 and above, the feature film SISTERQUEENS (directed by Clara Stella Hüneke) will be screened.

The German Documentary Film Competition features nine long documentaries, all world premieres. Among them is the 90-minute MORIA SIX. In her graduate documentary, director Jennifer Mallmann takes a second look at the Moria refugee camp, which was devastated by a fire in September 2020. After the camp's destruction, the public discourse, as well as the situation on the ground, fell eerily silent. Neither the inhumane conditions at Europe's borders nor the ongoing pushbacks in the Mediterranean received much attention. The arrest of six youths accused of arson also went largely unnoticed, despite the trial raising many questions. The film focuses on Mallmann's correspondence with Hassan, one of the convicted youths, who shares his daily life in prison. Through calm and precise imagery, MORIA SIX reveals the mechanisms of European border policies that treat people like criminals, locked away in futuristic high-security camps.

In her feature film SISTERQUEENS, documentary film student Clara Stella Hüneke tells the touching story of three young Berliners and their first steps into hip-hop culture. Jamila is nine, Rachel is eleven, and Faseeha is twelve when they meet at a rap project. They quickly become friends and form their crew, Sisterqueens. Over the course of four years, this documentary follows the three girls through their daily lives with parents, siblings, and their extraordinary hip-hop "chosen family," where they not only learn about hooklines but also about self-respect. We see them in rehearsals, studio sessions, and live performances as they challenge gender stereotypes in rap with their own songs. They discuss their experiences with racism and exclusion, processing these issues through their rhymes. While Faseeha explores other artistic expressions, Rachel contemplates the meaning of self-determination. Jamila witnesses a frightening incident that makes her question the reasoning of the police. Always with humor and in sharp words, they express their thoughts and questions about identity.

Irina Rubina*, graduate from FABW´s Animationsinstitut, presents her new short film, CONTRADICTION OF EMPTINESS, in the International Competition for Animation. In her autobiographical work, she addresses her alienation from her Russian mother tongue, which is burdened by crime, as well as her struggles to find a new home in the German language. Visually, Rubina employs the pinscreen technique to strikingly convey emotional fragmentation through changes in light and shadow.

Stefan Schomerus, another animation graduate from Ludwigsburg, has a new episode of UNSER SANDMÄNNCHEN (THE JOURNEY TO DREAM SANDMILL) in store for the Kids DOK section for the 65th anniversary.

FABW alumni Anja Reiß and Jann Anderegg are breaking new ground in the DOK Neuland: Interactive Cinema section with their documentary TRACES OF RESPONSIBILITY. The film takes a look at Rwanda, a country that, thirty years after the genocide, is caught between trauma and hope.

And in the Doc Alliance Award competition, FABW alumna Nicole Vögele presents her new work, THE LANDSCAPE AND THE FURY. The film explores the deceptive idyll at the Bosnian-Croatian border, where remnants of the Bosnian War, particularly landmines, can still be found. At the same time, it portrays the suffering of migrants who are seeking their way in this perilous environment. Vögele observes the people and the landscape without posing direct questions, capturing the subtle contrast between everyday life and harsh reality.

DOK Leipzig has existed for over 60 years. During the Cold War, the festival, founded in 1955, was an important platform for artistic exchange between filmmakers from East and West. Both documentary and animated films have been part of the programme from the beginning, which is marked by films with strong artistic and personal signatures. As a showcase for international documentary and animated films, it is unique in its combination of both genres. The festival will present a total of 209 films and XR works from 55 countries. Additionally, the DOK Industry networking event annually attracts numerous industry professionals.

*Jennifer Mallmann and Irina Rubina are scholarship holders of the foundation Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung and participated in an international partner programme as part of their studies.

Further information about the festival:
www.dok-leipzig.de

Film Credits (Source: Electronic Project Folder FABW)

MORIA SIX
https://www.dok-leipzig.de/film/moria-six/programm

Director: Jennifer Mallmann
Producer: Matthias Drescher
Production Manager: Max Brunner
Producer: Svenja Vanhoefer
Cinematography: Sina Diehl
Editing: Maxie Borchert
Sound: Vincent Egerter
Film Score: Clemens Gutjahr
Sound Design: Timo Kleinemeier
Color Grading: Jakob Sinsel
Motion Design: Tatjana Theuer
Production: Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg and FFL Film- und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg in collaboration with SWR and MFG

SISTERQUEENS
https://www.dok-leipzig.de/film/sisterqueens/programm

Director: Clara Stella Hüneke
Cinematography: Paola Calvo
Editing: Andreas Bothe
Film Score: Jonas Vogler
Sound Design: Vincent Egerter
Sound: Fanny Huder, Aline Juárez, Sarah Mounia Kachiri, Ariane Wagner
Mixing: Max Kersten
Dramaturgy: Rebecca Ajnwojner
Co-production: ZDF Kleines Fernsehspiel
Production: Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg GmbH