This year’s International Feature-Length Competition at Festival Film Dokumenter does not only present fresh submissions from different documentary filmmakers, but also provides fresh readings into the ever-expanding understanding of documentary films. Ten films were selected and screened as part of the program at Festival Film Dokumenter 2024, including KIX (Dávid Mikulán, Bálint Révész; 2024), XiXi (Fan Wu, 2024), and After the Snowmelt (Yi-Shan Lo, 2024).
These documentaries reflect the complexity and relevance of documentary film production in today’s society, not only offering a reordering of what is “seen” and “unseen” but also attempting to initiate a dialogue and defend the tensions in between. These films no longer simply revolve around news and facts, but are often also an exploration into memory, reality and the battles being fought to reproduce them.
On Wednesday, 6 November, three jury members from diverse backgrounds sat down to select one winning picture. The three jury members are Indonesian artist and art curator Ade Darmawan; French-born, Vietnam-based filmmaker and academic Swann Dubus; as well as Thong Kay Wee, a Singaporean film festival programmer and curator. After their deliberation, the judges held an interview with the FFD editorial team.
Below is the summary of our interview with the jury members.
How were the ten selected films in the International Feature-Length Competition? What binds them all together and what sets some of them apart?
Thong Kay Wee (TKW) We agreed upon the diversity. We appreciate the different styles, and the different types of expressions, some are more classic, some try new forms of documentation. There are quite a few films that deal a lot with archival materials, so that’s also a trend that we see. But overall we also appreciate the diverse issues that are being presented, and of course all of the topics discussed are pertinent to the world now.
Swann Dubus (SD) Yes, I think some movies were dealing with archives with a historical point of view, but there are also several movies dealing with personal archives at a very intimate, personal level. But all these films are connected, whether it’s very personal or has a very wide historic perspective, it’s always the reflection of one individual trying to question themselves, their families, the world, history… in all these films there’s an intimate dimension even if it relates to big topics.
Ade Darmawan (AD) As they’ve said, there are many very personal intimate documentaries, but there are also documentaries that try to have a certain agency towards the history, bringing something that maybe the public didn’t know about.
What are your reflections from the deliberation process?
(SD) I was glad to hear different views on the films. Discussions that you have on a film can change your perspective, and the discussions we had this morning were really interesting. I can only see the film from my perspective as a filmmaker and producer. So, understanding other points of views is precious.
(AD) I think the discussions have been rich, enriching my views in seeing all the selected movies. I think I’ve learned a lot as well from the different angles of the jury. There was diversity towards the discussion.
(TKW) I think, on paper, our starting points are quite different: Swann as a producer and filmmaker, myself as a festival programmer, and Ade as an artist and curator… So I think the most important thing is that I felt that we were respectful of each other’s comments. The discussions were generative, so we got to know each other’s perspective and see each other’s points, and then we came to the final decision together.
How do you assess the ten selected films and what are your considerations when choosing the awarded film?
(AD) I think it’s about living in the now. What’s relevant for today, or something that can be addressed, can generate interest and then evolve in the future. Of course there’s a lot of very rich issues around, but for me, I really think about what can be meaningful for the public, the issues that are the most relevant and are happening. And It’s not necessarily politics, it could also be the meaningful attempts of personal intimacy that are very important to share now. At the end of the day, it’s about thinking about what can be meaningful for the audience.
(TKW) I always return to the cinematic language; What the intentions of the filmmaker are and what they are trying to create in terms of an effect. If they’ve achieved that to a high quality level then that’s something I would gravitate to and that’s what we’re looking at. Another thing that I am looking for is always translation. They are screening this international competition film in Indonesia to different jurors of different backgrounds… How effective is their communication and translation to us? Whether it is information or artistic intent, these are things that we also look at to make our decisions.
(SD) I think what we discussed the most and what we were moved by was taking risks in representation; being not too polished, not taking a very classic narrative route. The movies that we liked the most are films which are a bit complicated and are sincere, even if sometimes the reception from the audience might be more difficult because they are not used to that. I think that’s the kind of films we’d like to see at festivals.
So which film has been chosen as the awardee, and what are your reasons for choosing this film?
(TKW) I find that After The Snowmelt is a brave and generous film about processing the loss of a loved one. I appreciate the filmmaker’s way of using cinema and different materials to piece together this portrait of grief. I think, to be able to have that therapeutic process for herself, and then to share that with the audience and be able to depict that emotionally, that shows a very sincere and powerful film
(AD) Personally for me, After the Snowmelt is strong because it makes me reflect not only on moments of grief and loss but on any moment that feels tough or heavy. But also at the same time it’s about memories; about how sometimes you feel stuck in it, you don’t know how to deal with it and how important it is to process that. Not only did I learn a lot from what’s inside the movie, this is a movie that makes me want to learn more, to investigate more outside the movie; not in a sense of knowledge but in a sense of our emotions and our sensitivities.
(SD) After the Snowmelt is a very good, very honest representation of what grief is when you experience a sudden and tragic loss at a very young age. It uses images and sound to represent with cinema this difficult experience, of a state of mind that is impossible to represent with words, of understanding yourself and trying to overcome it. It’s about fragility, and It’s brave enough to bring this on the screen and share it as an act of communication that is transmitted to the audience––sharing this tragic experience so it can be helpful for the audience.
Festival Film Dokumenter 2024 is proud and honored to present After the Snowmelt (雪水消融的季節) (2024), Taiwanese independent filmmaker and writer Yi-Shan Lo’s debut documentary feature, as the awardee for International Feature-Length Competition. We would like to thank and give our gratitude the selection committee and jury members who have been involved in this year’s festival.
Covered by Aradi Ghalizha on 6 November 2024. (Ed. Vanis)
