60th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film

30.10.2017 to 05.11.2017
Leipzig
Licu, a Romanian Story

Golden Dove: "Licu, a Romanian Story" (© DOK Leipzig)

On Saturday November 4 the 60th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film closed with the award ceremony. The Interreligious Jury with an evangelical, catholic, jewish, and muslim member awarded its Prize of 2500.- € to Aliona van der Horst for her film "Liefde is aardappelen" (Love is Potatoes). The Golden Dove, the main award of the festival, went to "Licu, o poveste româneascâ" (Licu, a Romanian Story) by Ana Dumitrescu. The Film Prize Leipziger Ring which is chosen by the audience was awarded to Manon Loizeau for the film "Syrie: La guerre silencieuse" (Silent War). The International Film Critics' Jury (Fipresci) choose as best film the Cuban production "El proyecto" (The Project) by Alejandro Alonso Estrella.

The 60th Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film opened with David Spaeth's documentary "Betrug" (Betrayal). An Interreligious Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded a film of the International Competition for the second time. Other competition sections include the German Competition, competitions for international and national shorts, "Next Masters" and the Competition for Animated Documentaries.

Three days before the festival opening an anniversary programme entitled "Now and Then" with films by Haskell Wexler, Heddy Honigmann, Jürgen Böttcher, Volker Koepp and Vlado Kristl, among others, was screened in different locations of Leipzig. The director of the homage is Jay Rosenblatt from US.

Link: Festival-Website

Awards

Life is Potatoes
Directed by:
2017

Using the example of a personal search for traces, the film reveals an episode of world history. On a quest for her own roots, the author finds, in a house in Russia, evidence of her origins, the flight, the story of her family, the way the past was dealt with, the issue of forgetting, the effects of hunger – all measured against the yardstick of death.

Working with pictures of the house and the souvenirs, with letters, sound recordings and especially with Italian animation artist Simone Massi’s excellent visuals, Aljona van der Horst has created a moving and profound work of art, not without risking a pinch of irony and humour, too.

More about the festival

Love is Potatoes (Netherlands/Russia, 2017) is a documentary first and foremost about personal memory and family history. Aliona Van Der Horst is the director of the film and its principle guide.