DokfestGeneration introduces a small but fine selection of documentary feature length films, which pick up in different ways the dialog between the generations. "Film has no age", is the motto. Elderly film fans – but not only they – will be fond of the DokfestGeneration films which are chosen for them and are shown in the most beautiful cinema in Kassel, the fifties movie theater Gloria.
DokfestGeneration, which has been a part of Kassel Dokfest since 2014, commits itself to the initiation of dialogue between generations and aims to appeal to older film fans. DokfestGeneration integrates themes of aging, age-appropriate narration, and generativity into the festival program, hereby acknowledging that existence in a succession of generations is formative for the individual and for society, a fact that is oftentimes essential for documentary film.
Selection committee: Joachim Kurz and Livia Theuer (theuer@kasselerdokfest.de)
This year, the connections that bring us together are the main theme of the festival – this is also reflected in the selection for our section: What connects us all is an intergenerational contract. It includes great role models, but also conflicting legacies. A long chain that offers support and guidance, but can also become a burden.
MONK IN PIECES by Billy Shebar is dedicated to the exceptional artist Meredith Monk. The composer and performance artist revolutionized the interplay of voice and movement, becoming a role model for many artists. Another great pioneer was and remains Hannah Arendt. In HANNAH ARENDT – DENKEN IST GEFÄHRLICH, Chana Gazit and Jeff Bieber not only recount her life, but also highlight the urgency of her observations, especially in light of the current threats to democracy. Renate Welsh, one of Austria’s best-known authors of children’s and young adult books – her creation “Das Vamperl” has achieved cult status – has spent her life fighting against speechlessness. In RENATE, Martin Nguyen portrays an impressive woman. FRIENDLY FIRE is also about commitment: Klaus Fried traces the life of his father, the great post-war poet Erich Fried, who became the guru of the alternative left-wing movement of 1968 through his political (love) poems. Darío Aguirre’s WE, THE WOLFS deals with blind spots in history (including personal history). In it, the Ecuadorian director explores the life of his great-great-grandfather, the famous German naturalist Theodor Wolf, who explored the South American country. What Wolf’s biography fails to mention, however, is that in addition to his German family, the scientist also had a wife and children in Ecuador, from whom Aguirre is descended. Our opening film, WE, THE INHERITORS deals with a different kind of inheritance: Simon Baumann is set to inherit his parents’ French estate – but he is struggling with the idea. This sets off a debate that is both personal and societal about legacies, offering a different perspective on ownership and wealth inequality. Two films deal with dying and death as part of life: DEATH IS AN ASSHOLE by Michael Schwarz and GREEN LIGHT by Pavel Cuzuioc. The first follows the unconventional undertaker Eric Wrede, who tries to rethink the concept of saying goodbye. GREEN LIGHT portrays Dr. Johann Spittler, who accompanies people who have decided to undergo assisted suicide.
DokfestGeneration
