DOK Leipzig is once again bringing exciting international animated and documentary films for children and teenage viewers to the big screen during the week-long festival. From 29 October to 3 November, Kids DOK and Young Eyes will present films that will enchant and entertain viewers while broadening their horizons and breaking with conventional viewing habits. These are films that will introduce children to distinctive cinematic styles and make them think instead of just passively consuming content.
Three age recommendations, two programmes of short films, four feature-length films
Lina Dinkla, the curator of Kids DOK and Young Eyes, has once again put together an age-appropriate selection of long and short animated and documentary films for kindergarten and pre-school children from age 4, schoolchildren from age 6 and young people from age 12 – from the Little Sandman’s trip to where dream-inducing sand is made for the youngest viewers to a clique of girl rappers whose rhymes express what’s on the minds of their generation. Depending on the target age group, the international films are subtitled in German, have a German voiceover or do without dialogue.
Kids DOK offers six short international animated films for kindergarten and preschool children aged four and up. They’re about a little bear who has to find “his” tree (“Pompon Little Bear: The Dream of the Totem Tree”), about rubber boots that are afraid of puddles (“Achtung Pfütze!”) and about two cells who are friends exploring “their” organism („Toti“). The children spend a sunny winter’s day ice-skating with a pig and a cow in the forest (“Hoofs on Skates”), accompany an otter and a child on their quest to find the forest’s water source (“Mû”) and watch a brand-new anniversary episode of The Little Sandman (“Unser Sandmännchen: Die Reise zur Traumsandmühle”).
A programme of four short films is available for ages six and up. Three of them are imaginatively drawn animated films – about a shooting star that turns out to be a bat with a penchant for glitter (“Filante”), the wanderlust of a bear (“The Bear and the Bird”) and the pleasure found in winter sports (“Freeride in C”) – while the fourth is a wonderful documentary about a miniature pig that strangely morphs into a giant beast that annoys the neighbours by “being a hog” (“Nelson the Piglet”).
For schoolchildren and young people aged 12 and up, Young Eyes is presenting four outstanding films from the international film festival scene that address topics relevant to youth on their level and that provide fresh insight into the lives of others. These are: a documentary film about three girls (aged 9, 11 and 12) who, as the rap crew Sisterqueens, raise poignant questions about self-determination and identity; an animated film about a boy who suddenly has a problem with his weight; a portrait of a group of young pupils caught between lessons, childhood and adulthood; and a film about a brave young girl whose family fled from Afghanistan to Iran and who in her new home country gives all she can to fulfil her dream of becoming a professional boxer. At the end of the festival, this year’s Young Eyes jury will choose a winner from among these four films.
On the importance of media literacy – DOK Education’s events for teachers and students
In addition to its lineup of films, DOK Education offers schoolchildren and teachers opportunities to improve their media literacy and to acquaint themselves with documentary and animated filmmaking as a form of cinematic expression. The events range from school screenings of selected festival films to DOK Spotters, a youth project that immerses young people in the goings-on at the festival as a youth editorial team, to Teachers’ Day, a training course for teachers on documentary film education, which will be held this year on 31 October.
“The great thing about DOK Education is meeting the filmmakers in the cinema and having follow-up discussions with the school classes,” says Tina Jany, who assumed responsibility for the festival’s educational section this year. “It’s super-exciting to see how young people approach films and respond to them. Particularly now, at a time when social media content is forming people’s opinions, such an informed approach to media is extremely important.”
This year’s school screenings offer an in-depth look at two selected festival films. On 30 October at 11:30 a.m., the documentary “Im Prinzip Familie” by Dutch director Daniel Abma will be screened, and on 1 November at 11:00 a.m., the documentary “Lichter der Straße” will be presented with director Anna Friedrich attending. After the film, the school classes will be able to talk to the filmmakers in a moderated discussion. In addition to the film screening, the school screenings consist of a preparatory or follow-up module. Educational material is also provided for individual preparation and follow-up of the screening.
The entire Kids DOK and Young Eyes selection of films can be found on our website
The advanced tickets are on sale now.
An overview about all offers concerning DOK Education you find here.
Registration for the ‘Teachers Day’ is still possible until 18 October. Information can be found at: https://www.dok-leipzig.de/en/dok-education
Information on registrations for school classes: bildung [at] dok-leipzig [dot] de (bildung[at]dok-leipzig[dot]de).
You can request your press accreditation on our website.
Film stills: on request to presse [at] dok-leipzig [dot] de (presse[at]dok-leipzig[dot]de)
