“THE BALCONY MOVIE” AND “98 KG” AT DOK LEIPZIG

The first titles in this year's Dok Leipzig festival have been announced. The latest films by Paweł Łoziński and Izabela Plucińska will have a chance to win in the new competition where prizes are awarded by the audience. “The Balcony Movie” has also been nominated for the MDR award given to the most interesting documentaries from Eastern Europe.

DOK Leipzig is one of the leading events in the world of documentary and animated film. Every year in Leipzig, the latest film productions from dozens of countries on all continents are presented. This year, 310 films will be screened at DOK Leipzig, including 161 films in the official selection and more than 140 films that have made it into special programmes.

The new competitions – Audience Award and Audience Short Award – feature Polish productions. In the former, the audience will get to see Paweł Łoziński's new and already award-winning “The Balcony Movie”, and in the latter – the animated short “98 kg” directed by Izabela Plucińska.

Łoziński's documentary asks several important questions. Can anyone be a film protagonist? Can you fit the entire world in a single frame? Director Paweł Łoziński watches people from his balcony. Both young and old, they walk by smiling, sad, thoughtful, staring at their phones. Residents of the neighbourhood, or casual visitors, ordinary passers-by. The author approaches them, asks questions, talks about their life and how they're doing. Standing there with his camera for over 2 years, he created a place for dialogue, a secular confessional where everyone can stop and tell others about themselves. Every person carries their own riddles and secrets. They can't be easily labelled. Life can't be imagined. “The Balcony Movie” is a radical return to the early days of cinema, when it was people who approached the camera. Perhaps one just needs to stop and stay a while to see more?

In turn, the animated “98 kg” is a film about domestic violence. The main character is a woman who's abused by her husband. We get to watch the toxic relationship in which they're stuck. The titular 98 kg is the weight of a lifted barbell and how much the husband weights.

This year's edition is to take place in a hybrid form on 25-30 October.

You can find a list of all films invited to the competitions here.