{"id":1690,"date":"2025-01-13T22:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T20:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/docpoint.fi\/?p=1690"},"modified":"2025-12-04T22:42:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T20:42:43","slug":"editorial-cinematic-sparks-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.docpoint.ee\/test\/en\/festival-magazine\/editorial-cinematic-sparks-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: Cinematic Sparks of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DocPoint\u2019s Head of Programming\u00a0<\/em>Inka Acht\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0introduces the films and main themes of the 2025 festival in her editorial.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greetings, dear friends of documentaries!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new year has begun, which means that DocPoint will soon delight documentary film enthusiasts by bringing the latest and most captivating real-life stories to theaters. The past year has been harsh in many ways. In Finland, the government initiated massive cuts affecting students, asylum seekers, and the unemployed, not forgetting art and culture. Globally, wars raged; Israel continued its genocide in Palestine, and Russia pursued its war of aggression in Ukraine. To the surprise of many, despite an assassination attempt, Donald Trump<\/strong> will\/has once again become the President of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What remains unchanged is the climate crisis threatening life on Earth. DocPoint\u2019s\u00a0Climate Report<\/em>\u00a0series features a selection of films highlighting the alarming state of our planet.\u00a0The Here Now Project<\/em>, composed of smartphone footage by ordinary people, shows that in an environmental crisis, the truth is more terrifying than any disaster film.\u00a0Searching for Amani<\/em>\u00a0takes us to Kenya, where a mysterious murder opens the eyes of an aspiring young journalist to the deadly effects of colonialism and climate change.\u00a0The White House Effect<\/em>, using archival material, illustrates how global concern for our warming planet transformed into a matter of opinion over thirty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIVERGING PERSPECTIVES<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our era is marked by ideological and political polarization. People with differing views seem unable to sit at the same table. The superpower of documentaries lies in their ability to place the viewer in someone else\u2019s shoes, offering perspectives that differ from their own. Polarization is a symptom of democratic erosion, which is why the familiar\u00a0Democracy in Distress<\/em>\u00a0series includes several documentaries addressing this issue. Premiered at the Venice Film Festival,\u00a0Homegrown<\/em>\u00a0follows what drives devoted Trump supporters to storm the Capitol after\u00a0Joe Biden<\/strong>\u2019s victory in the U.S. presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awarded for Best Directing at IDFA,\u00a0An American Pastoral<\/em>\u00a0portrays school board elections in a small town in Pennsylvania, where the struggle between right-wing conservatives and liberals mirrors the broader societal divide.\u00a0Apocalypse in the Tropics<\/em>\u00a0shows how evangelical Christianity influenced\u00a0Jair Bolsonaro<\/strong>\u2019s rise to power in Brazil. We also get a glimpse of Russia in renowned Czech director\u00a0Filip Remunda<\/strong>\u2019s latest film,\u00a0Happiness to All<\/em>, featuring a devout Putin supporter living in Siberia.\u00a0Of Caravan and the Dogs<\/em>\u00a0follows the increasingly impossible lives of Russian journalists and human rights activists before and during the war in Ukraine. Both films will serve as a starting point for the\u00a0DocFocus<\/em>\u00a0discussion\u00a0Journalism in a Polarised World<\/em>, organized in collaboration with the Union of Journalists in Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the opposite of polarization, one might consider a functioning community. The thematic series\u00a0Stronger Together<\/em>\u00a0offers cinematic sparks of hope for viewers feeling anxious in a divided world. The healing power of the community is showcased in films like\u00a0Baloman\u00eda<\/em>, about hot air balloon enthusiasts in Brazil\u2019s favelas, the laughter-inducing\u00a0Pavilion 6<\/em>, set at a Croatian vaccination center, and the pastel-colored musical documentary\u00a0Reas<\/em>, diving into the lives of Argentinean female prisoners.\u00a0Abortion Dream Team<\/em>\u00a0follows Polish women fighting for abortion rights in a country with the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Director\u00a0Karolina Domagalska<\/strong>\u00a0will attend the festival and participate in the\u00a0DocFocus<\/em>\u00a0discussion\u00a0Activists as Defenders of Abortion Rights<\/em>\u00a0on Saturday, February 8, organized with Amnesty International Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WARMTH AMID THE WINTER COLD<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Adding warmth to February\u2019s frosts are the music documentaries in the\u00a0Feel the Beat<\/em>\u00a0series, continuing for the third year, and films under the\u00a0Long Live Love<\/em>\u00a0theme, exploring diverse forms of love. We will meet the late composer genius\u00a0Leif Segerstam<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0LEif<\/em>\u00a0and queer icon and musician\u00a0Peaches<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Peaches Goes Bananas<\/em>, premiered in Venice.\u00a0Lesvia<\/em>\u00a0tells the story of women who found a safe haven on the beautiful island of Lesbos, while\u00a0Trust Me<\/em>\u00a0introduces a Berlin couple opening their relationship due to the husband\u2019s yearning for freedom.\u00a0The Flamingo<\/em>\u00a0follows 60-year-old Mary\u2019s journey into the world of BDSM after years of celibacy and divorce. Director\u00a0Adam Sekuler<\/strong>\u00a0and protagonist\u00a0Mary Phillips<\/strong>\u00a0will attend DocPoint to answer audience questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0competition series\u00a0includes films that are not only distinctive and reflective of their directors but also showcase the diversity of documentary cinema as an art form. In the international competition,\u00a0Apple Cider Vinegar<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Sophie Benoot<\/strong>\u00a0starts with a kidney stone and evolves into an exploration of stones (and much more).\u00a0Writing Hawa<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Najiba Noor<\/strong>\u00a0depicts the lives of the women in her family as they change when the Taliban rises to power in Afghanistan.\u00a0A Fidai Film<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Kamal Aljafari<\/strong>\u00a0is an experimental work based on archival material stolen by the Israeli army from a Palestinian research center in Beirut during the Lebanon War.\u00a0Mother Vera<\/em>\u00a0paints a sensory portrait of a nun at a crossroads in her life, living in a Belarusian monastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The films in the\u00a0Finnish competition\u00a0are delightfully diverse in style. The opening film,\u00a0Forget About Cinema!<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Arantzazu Gomez Bayon<\/strong>, is a stunning, category-defying depiction of balancing artistry and motherhood, placing the filmmaker within the canon of her predecessors with sharp insight.\u00a0Two Forests<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Jan Ij\u00e4s<\/strong>\u00a0explores aging and death through Japanese forest myths.\u00a0In the Borderland<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Elina Hyv\u00e4rinen<\/strong>\u00a0is an observational documentary about the municipality of Parikkala and its residents\u2019 changing relationship with Russia after the war in Ukraine begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director\u00a0Olli Laine<\/strong>\u2019s ambitious\u00a0Matti Nyk\u00e4nen \u2013 The Legend<\/em>\u00a0is part of the\u00a0Fruits of Labour<\/em>\u00a0series, examining how our identities intertwine with our work. The film reflects on the contradictory persona of the ski-jumping legend through archival material and the memories of close ones. Matti\u2019s decline from sports star to stripping singer is recounted by his mother Vieno and his daughter Eveliina, who has remained out of the public eye. Also featured in this series are\u00a0Wisdom of Happiness<\/em>, where the\u00a0Dalai Lama<\/strong>\u00a0shares not only the secrets of happiness but also personal insights into his life for the first time, and\u00a0Afternoons of Solitude<\/em>, a masterful film by Catalan director\u00a0Albert Serra<\/strong>, awarded at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The film, focusing on bullfighter\u00a0Andr\u00e9s Roca Rey<\/strong>, is a breathtaking exploration of masculinity, power, and the blurred line between man and beast\u2014not for the faint-hearted!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHORT FILM COMPETITION<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finnish short documentaries shine year after year with their originality and boldness. That\u2019s why I\u2019m particularly delighted that this year DocPoint has a dedicated\u00a0competition series for short films, screened in three sessions. The selection includes\u00a0Fabulous Cow Ladies<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Mia Halme<\/strong>, honoring cows;\u00a0Rooms<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Antti Lempi\u00e4inen<\/strong>, examining homelessness in Finland; and\u00a0Bright White Light<\/em>\u00a0by\u00a0Henna V\u00e4lkky<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Eesu Lehtola<\/strong>, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, portraying near-death experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s program also features three films specifically aimed at young audiences, part of the\u00a0Whole Life Ahead<\/em>\u00a0selection. Bring your young ones along to explore the fascinating world of true stories! In\u00a0Kix<\/em>, we follow the decade-long journey of a friendship between a young film student and skateboarder and an 8-year-old boy named Sanyi, living on the streets of Budapest.\u00a0Romina<\/em>\u00a0introduces us to a teenage girl from Bologna\u2019s suburbs, a talented and passionate boxer whose life takes a turn when her mother is imprisoned, forcing her to shoulder adult responsibilities. Directors\u00a0Valerio Lo Muzio<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Michael Petrolini<\/strong>\u00a0will attend DocPoint from Italy.\u00a0Grand Me<\/em>\u00a0delves into the world of a young Iranian girl. Living with her grandparents, 9-year-old Melina plans to sue her parents for failing to care for her after their divorce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, DocPoint returns exclusively as an in-person event, bringing stunning documentaries from 30 different countries to theaters. In addition to domestic filmmakers, audiences will have the opportunity to meet several international directors. In an era dominated by streaming services and smart devices, DocPoint aims to present documentaries as shared experiences on the big screen. As our Executive Director Johanna R\u00e5man<\/strong> said when receiving the State Prize for Cinema for DocPoint (my deepest thanks for that!) last December: A nation without documentary film is like a home without a photo album.<\/em> Finland needs art, culture, knowledge, perspectives, trust, hope, community, and courage. And DocPoint needs you, dear friends of documentaries, to come, see, and experience the world in all its incredible diversity, with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inka Acht\u00e9, Head of Programming<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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