SEE REALITIES OF A DIFFERENT WORLD

Festival of Award Winning Documentaries from all over the world.

Watch a rare mix of documentary films from Germany, Baltic States, China and India that will be screened at DocEdge, a documentary film festival hosted by Goethe-Zentrum, Coimbatore in association with Coimbatore Indo German Cultural Association. The films include a selection of entries from the DOK Leipzig [Germany] Film Festival, as well as other award-winning films. The subjects of the films are diverse: ranging from the life of extremists to an artists journey, to farmer suicides in India. Venue : Gedee Auditorium, 734, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore - 641 018. Dates : 24 Sep 2011 25 Sep 2011 01 Oct 2011 02 Oct 2011

EDGE DOC

Schedule of Films : 24 Sep 2011 6:30 pm 6.45 pm 1. 10 minutes before flight of Icarus (Lithuania) 2. How to make a book with Steidl (Germany) (Golden Dove in Leipzig for best German Documentary) 3. Pianomania In search of the perfect sound (Germany) 4. Kawalek Lata (A piece of Summer) (Poland) 5. Neros Guests (India) 6. Heart Quake (Italy) 7. Uku Ukki (France) 8. The First period (China)

25 Sep 2011

6:00 pm 7:30 pm

01 Oct 2011

6:30 pm 7:30 pm

02 Oct 2011

6:00 pm 7:00 pm

1. Ten Minutes before the Flight of lcarus [Lithuania]

A neighbourhood in a town in Lithuania seems to be on the verge of experiencing something. The question isnt just what, its also when. Going by the cute old men interviewed and the use of the grainy film stock to capture the all round decay; the answer is any time between now and never. Director Arunas Matelis needs all of 10 minutes to explore the idea of a place that time has forgotten. Directed by Arunas Matelis Duration : 10 minutes

2. How to make a book with Steidil [Germany]

This documentary film traces the journey of publisher Gerhard Steidl as he meets artists and writers for his books. The publisher travels to different continents to meet different artists with a camera, capturing his meetings and discussions with them, thus, giving viewers an insight into the philosophy of his work. The film unravels the process a publisher goes through to make a book, which aligns with his own idea of art and creativity. Directors Adolph & Wetzel spent a year from following Steidl to make this film jetting over the world, discussing the perfume of the ink with a client one day in the USA and marveling over foldout pamphlets at a Parisian show of fashion in the next. The film reveals a man who has up to 10 appointments a day and who yet finds moments of clarity, like when he quells a photographers concern with a putdown. Directed by Gereon Wetzel and Jrg Adolph Duration : 90 minutes

3. Pianomania [Germany] (In search of the perfect Sound)

This film is about a piano tuner, who is constantly looking for the perfect sound. He is not just a master of his trade, but he also has the ability to turn sounds into verbal images. He describes individual sounds with immaculate precision and also strives to find the right nuances of sound for every piano player. In his line of work these are laudable qualities to possess in fact, they might even be considered essential to the trade. He will resort to outrageous measures to make a musical instrument sound as it should on one occasion, he mounts a tennis ball on a Bosch power drill to be able to ping the pianos strings in a staccato manner, so as to get the pitch right. This intimately recorded and delightfully eccentric documentary by by Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis makes it abjectly clear in its title, when you are dealing with artists of caliber, a measure of lunacy is acceptable. Directed By Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis Duration : 90 Minutes

4. Kawalck Lata [Poland] (A piece of summer)

Set in a picturesque countryside, this short documentary film is about an old man and his grandson. This could be the last summer holiday that the young boy will spend with his grandfather in the woods. The film explores the relationship the two share, including the realization that they dont have much to talk about. The beautiful settings of the forest, accompanied by its sounds, make the boys stay a memorable experience. The jibes & jabs thrown at each other by the grandfather & grandson in a playful display of pugilistic machismo, is beautifully captured in an almost painterly frame by director Marta Minorowicz. The story of short summer vacation, uneventful and unhurried, transforms into a quasi-psychological reflection on matters of aging & posterity. Directed By Marta Minorowicz Duration : 24 minutes

5. Neros Guests [India]

Deepa Bhatias documentary explores suicides by farmers in rural Maharashtra through the eyes and words of journalist P Sainath. Neros Guests adroitly weaves together footage of Sainaths travels to the suicide zones, interviews with victims families, and excerpts from his lectures. Directed by Deepa Bhatia Duration : 57 minutes

6. Heart Quake [Italy]

Heart-quake This Albanian/Italian documentary by Mark Olexa is the story of Shpresa, a 26 year old mother of five and a victim of domestic violence in Kosovo. Heart-quake finds Shpresa heading out of her country for the first time- with her fifth child, Shpetim, whos diagnosed with Downs syndrome-to find medical aid at a charity in Milan. Menace comes in the form of the husband, who begins threatening the lives of their other children in an attempt to get Shpresa back home in a hurry. Directed by Mark Olexa Duration : 55 minutes

7. Uku Ukai [France]

Death. Life. The passage of time. Youth. Aging. Were not talking about The Tree of Life, but Audrius Stonyss winning documentary. People from various age groups attempt to stay alive and cheerful in the face of near-certain atrophy. Some run, some meditate, and others stretch their muscles for exercise or ballet. The soundscape includes heavy breathing, jogging feet on asphalt, and an Indian accented voice urging, Take a deep breath in and out. The suggestion doesnt always work in a cluster of beautiful images; the nicest one is of an old woman who simply wont get out of her bed. Directed by Audrius StonyDuration : 30 minutes

8. The First Period [China]

This observational documentary, which is in the mould of French film The Class, observes a class-room of third-grade students for an academic year. This is their last year in primary school before they move on to middle school. The kids are also on the threshold of puberty (the documentarys title is a doubleedged one) and The First Period is as much about getting top grades as it is about first crushes. The kids wriggle like worms through a regimen that includes punishing school schedules, demanding teachers and worried parents. Filmmaking team Guo Jing and Ke Dingding make fruitful use of the unfettered access to the classrooms as well as the teachers quarters. They use intertitles between sequences in an idiosyncratic way, combing information about the class with quirky observations on the thoughts and actions of the films key characters. The First Period does much more than put a rigorous and success fixated primary education system under the lens. The film celebrates the freewheeling nature of 11 year old-Kids-Their competitiveness, stubbornness, playfulness and ultimately, their resistance. Whether in China or India, kids will always remain kids. Directed by Guo Jing and Ke Dingding Duration : 45 Minutes

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