A crowded cinema hall in a festive atmosphere. A man and a woman stand in front of the screen. The man, festival director Christoph Terhechte, can be seen in close-up on the screen. He speaks into a microphone. On the left edge in front of the screen are large letter figures: DOK.
Festival Opening 2022
Viktoria Conzelmann

DOK Leipzig opened on Sunday, 8 October at CineStar in Leipzig with the world premiere of Arndt Ginzel’s film “White Angel – The End of Marinka”.

In his welcoming remarks, festival director Christoph Terhechte emphasised the social and political relevance of the films that the festival is screening: “Not only is the war being waged against Ukraine a theme in several of the films in this year’s programme. Many of them also generally address the relationship between Russia and the now independent states that were once within the Soviet sphere of influence. The retrospective ‘Film and Protest: Popular Uprisings in the Cold War’ provides the historical perspective on this.”

Dr Skadi Jennicke, the City of Leipzig’s Deputy Mayor for Arts and Culture, also spoke at the opening. In her welcoming remarks, she emphasised the importance of DOK Leipzig in a time of uncertainty and the struggle for truth: “A clear commitment to facts, to the strength of the argument and to a critical debate that does not shy away from dissent. Defending these values also means defending our democracy. DOK Leipzig is a good venue for this,” Dr Jennicke said. “For the City of Leipzig, the festival is an indispensable highlight of the arts scene and an ambassador for Leipzig.” Christoph Terhechte thanked Jennicke for her long-standing and ongoing support.

Saxon Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Barbara Klepsch, who was unable to attend the opening, also expressed support for DOK Leipzig in her remarks: “The opening of the DOK festival begins a week-long international dialogue between representatives of the film industry and the audience, turning the eyes of the entire world to Leipzig and Saxony. The films that have been selected are not only entertaining; they also draw from current political discussions and take a critical look at the world in which we live. At the same time, the DOK festival is where current artistic developments and personal styles in documentary and animated film are presented. I am also delighted by the fact that the festival practises its philosophy of enabling broad participation in a very tangible way by offering free screenings at the Central Station and the Museum der bildenden Künste, giving everyone the opportunity to see wonderful and thought-provoking films.”

Representing the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism at the opening event was Markus Franke, head of the ministry’s arts division. Franke announced the recipient of the Saxon Award for the Best Documentary Project by a Female Director, which is endowed with 5,000 euros and is sponsored by the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism. Projects by female directors selected for the DOK Co-Pro Market were eligible for the award, which went to the Belarusian filmmaker Daria Yurkevich for her project titled “GENESIS”. This film will portray a married couple who run a horse-farming collective and are doing everything they can to save the last remaining breed of Belarusian horses from extinction and release them into the wild.

In their laudatory speech, jury members Maëlle Guenegues (CAT&Docs) and Carmen L. Vicencio (American Documentary) praised the filmmaker for providing "a glimpse of the harsh realities and challenging conditions that her protagonists – both humans and equines – face." The project conveys "a keener sense of place and environment as well as a quiet, impartial respect for the people who live there."

Christoph Terhechte thanked Barbara Klepsch, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Markus Franke and the Saxon Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism for their commitment to female filmmakers.

This was followed by a screening of “Brother”, a short film made with stop-motion animation which explores the emotional depths of a personal loss. After this, the selection committee and the juries of DOK Leipzig 2023 were introduced.

The opening ceremony concluded with the world premiere of “White Angel – The End of Marinka”, following a discussion with the film’s director, Arndt Ginzel. This film documents evacuation and rescue operations in the small Ukrainian town of Marinka in the Donetsk region between the spring and autumn of 2022. “White Angel – The End of Marinka” will be in cinemas across Germany from 19 October.

DOK Leipzig is screening 225 films and extended reality works from around 60 countries, including 44 world premieres, in eleven different venues until Sunday (15 October). This year, DOK Leipzig is again offering free screenings of some of the films in the East Hall of Leipzig Central Station and at the Polish Institute. From 9 to 15 October, one film per day will be available online for 24 hours throughout Germany in the DOK Stream.

The Golden and Silver Doves and other festival awards will be presented in two award ceremonies on Saturday, 14 October 2023.