It’s Monday evening, I walk to the Petersbogen and take the escalator up to the CineStar, because this is where DOK Leipzig is opening its festival with the film “Tracing Light”.There are people everywhere who reveal themselves as DOK accredited persons with their little cardboard cards on a blue keychain.
After two more short escalators, I find myself in the bar area in front of the movie theatre. This is where I realize that I don’t fit in here, because I’m surrounded mainly by “film people” – the men are easily recognizable by their round glasses and short beards. They greet each other warmly, because everyone knows everyone and they talk about their current and upcoming projects. Naturally, they switch between German and English in a fully “international” manner. You can only get into the movie theater with a ticket with your row and seat handwritten on it. My condolences to the person who had to label hundreds of tickets.
At 7 p.m., the official start time of the opening, the hall is only half full. Fifteen minutes later, everyone has finally left the bar and made their way into the hall. Over 700 people now watch presenter Julia Weigl and festival director Christoph Terhechte entering the stage. After welcoming everyone, Terhechte gives his speech on the role of film as a medium in the current times and the importance of being open to dialog. Due to the internationality already mentioned, everything will also be repeated in English. During the speech, the camera switches to a second camera with a microphone stand in the way. This mistake is immediately commented on by my commentary-happy and critical neighbor on the right with a shake of her head and an annoyed “mh”, especially after this mistake occurs two more times.
A single speech is probably not enough for an opening, so the Mayor and Councillor for Culture of the City of Leipzig, Dr. Skadi Jennicke, explains the relevance of DOK Leipzig in her speech. The next item on the program is the first award ceremony of the festival, conducted by Ms. Claudia Maicher. The announcement of the winner is unexpectedly unspectacular and is, in this case justified, commented on from the right. The Saxon Prize for the best documentary film project by a female director goes to Ana Kvichidze for her project “Oh, Heart Don’t Be Afraid”. The jury members are each allowed to say two or three sentences to explain their decision. The award winner herself is the most approachable person of the evening, not even my neighbor can find any fault with her.
Before the main program starts, the short film “The Diffusion Pilot” is shown, in which you can watch the product of the “Engine”, an artificial intelligence, for seven minutes. At times, the images simply run into each other. The contours of cupboards become those of doors, waves become clouds. This is followed by the opening film “Tracing Light”, which is introduced by director Thomas Riedelsheimer. He also talks about his enthusiasm for showing documentaries on such a large screen. At 8:30 pm – a full 90 minutes after the start of the event and therefore a feature-length film later – “Tracing Light” finally begins, much to the delight of my right-hand neighbor, who now noticeably lowers her commentary-frequency. The film tries to understand light as a concept, but without finding a result at the end. It is not a film as you would see it on television, it is an artistic work. So you shouldn’t expect an exciting story, although there are always individual sentences, especially from scientists, that are worth thinking about. It is very exciting to see that we cannot explain phenomena such as light.
After the movie, the lights come back on and some seats are now empty. So it’s also too late in the evening for some adults. Reassuring. Thomas Riedelsheimer now appears to take over the moderation and calls everyone involved in his film to the stage. Words of thanks follow. He also says goodbye to the audience and points out the opportunity to go for a drink afterwards. I don’t find out where this after-show party is taking place, I don’t want to go anyway. After all, I’m not a film person. But it was still interesting to immerse myself in a world that was previously foreign to me, even if only for 3 hours. But it shouldn’t have been any longer.
Autor: Wendel