After a last-minute canceled edition in 2020, the Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival was challenged for a second year in a row to adapt to the corona crisis.
Cinemas were still compulsorily closed, but film screenings in museums and art galleries in a limited circle were possible. That is why this year exceptionally the Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival took place at the Alfred Sküll Art Gallery, instead of our long-term partner Studio Skoop.
The film festival organized 45 film screenings from 15 to 23 May 2021, Covid-proof for a very limited number of people. In the art gallery, on the big screen. This allowed the films to be screened in a respectful way and it kept the festival from going ‘online’ like many other festivals.
This year, no fewer than sixty exceptional documentaries (both full-length and short films, both from the 2020 and 2021 selection) from all over the world were on the agenda of the Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival.
From this gigantic selection of work, the following films were awarded with a prize.
Best Documentary Feature Film 2021 Boy from the blaze (Spain) by Ignacio Acconcia
Best Documentary Feature Film 2020 On The Inside of a Military Dictatorship (Denmark) by Karen Stokkendal Poulsen
Best Documentary Short Films 2021 Spontaneous (United States) by Lori Felker
Best Documentary Short Films 2020 PACIFIC (Lebanon) by Angie Obeid
Best Environmental Documentary Film 2021 The Beekeeper (United Kingdom) by William McGregor
Best Environmental Documentary Film 2020 The Edge of Existence (South Africa) by James Suter , Charlie Luckock
Best Society Documentary Film 2021 I am Wounded (Germany) by Orkan Bayram
Best Society Documentary Film 2020 African Bride (The Netherlands) by Roy Dames , Jos Driessen
Best LGBTQ Documentary Film 2021 Killing Tony (Finland) by Panu Suuronen
Best LGBTQ Documentary Film 2020 The Prince of Ostia Bronx (Italy) by Raffaele Passerini
Best Health Documentary Film 2021 The Daydreamers (United Kingdom) by Thomas Renckens
Best Health Documentary Film 2020 Int.Anouchka-Night (Belgium) by Louise Hansenne
Best Artist Documentary Film 2021 Dead Souls' Vacation (Georgia) by Keko Chelidze
Best Artist Documentary Film 2020 Fenni Zombie (China) by Juefang Zhang
Best Experimental Documentary Film 2021 My Own Landscapes (France) by Antoine Chapon
Best Experimental Documentary Film 2020 And we'll be happy again (Poland) by Krzysztof Wołżański
Best Belgian Documentary Film 2021 A.WAY (Belgium) by Glenn Dumortier
Best Belgian Documentary Film 2020 Century of Smoke (Belgium) by Nicolas Graux
VIEWPOINT DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL The Filmplaneet in Ghent founded the Ghent Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival in 1994, to focus explicitly on documentary films. During its original nine year run, the festival has become a respected international festival and was renowned for its strong, qualitative and independent film selection. Highlights were Frederic Wiseman's 'Domestic Violence', which had it’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and the focus dedicated to the work of American documentary filmmaker Alan Berliner, who presented his latest film personally. In association with S.M.A.K. it also hosted Harmony Korine's photo series ‘Milk Chicken Review’ and ‘Coke Head Swingers’ and the video installation ‘The Diary of Anna Frank. Part II’. The festival has hosted many noteworthy filmmakers: Peter Entell, Albert Maysles, Sergeï Dvortsevoy, Steve James, Heddy Honigman, Kim Longinotto, Michael Glawogger, Hans Van Den Broeck, Monteith McCollum, Gabriel Noble, Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid, Thom Vander Beken. Unfortunately, in its original incarnation, the festival came to an end in 2003.
Inspired by that original movement, the Ghent Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival was relaunched in 2018, continuing to emphasize lesser known, vanguard documentary works and further its tradition of galvanizing budding talent.
More information: https://www.viewpointdocfest.com
Submit your films: https://filmfreeway.com/viewpointdocfest
