Retrospective: “Third Ways in a Divided World. Utopia and Subversion”
From Cuba to Yugoslavia and Poland to Chile — this year’s DOK Leipzig Retrospective is dedicated to the Cold War era and shows films that did not fit into the view of the divided world between East and West. It also brings up DOK Leipzig’s own history as a festival. To what extent were those films shown in Leipzig at the time or not?
The program, curated by film critic Sylvia Görke, brings together films that portray the desire for independence or alternative perspectives on communism and socialism. Works by Agnès Varda, Jean Rouch, Peter Voigt, Dušan Makavejev and Volker “Via” Lewandowsky will be screened. The title of the retrospective was deliberately chosen in view of current developments: “Terms such as ‘third way’ and ‘alternative’ came about in a context of removing ideological barriers, and people shouldn’t be allowed to simply appropriate them in order to advocate for new restrictions”, explains curator Sylvia Görke.
Matinee Saxon State Archive complements the Retrospective
Thematically, this year’s Matinee Saxon State Archive ties in with the retrospective. Under the title “So Comrades, Come Rally! The GDR in Solidarity”, the programme deals with the demonstrative solidarity of the GDR with the “oppressed peoples” of the world. Examples from amateur films show interactions with people from other countries, for example during friendship visits or the World Youth Festival. According to curator Konstantin Wiesinger, this often results in ‘skewed comparisons’ and ‘inadvertent tragicomedy’ that emphasise disparities.
