Screenings

Feature Film

In 2023, 56 feature-length film contributions were selected. Consensual criteria that shape the final program selection are the political, social and cultural relevance of the topics as well as the cinematic treatment of the submitted contributions.

Next to more classical forms of presentation, the Dokfest is open for the introduction of innovative formats, which show alleged boundaries of the genre, the might and the power of manipulation of images. Furthermore low or no budget productions, works by up-and-coming artists as well as new projects of well-known filmmakers at the Kassel Dokfest receive special attention during the selection process: because accompanying documentary works-in-progress continually is as important to us as offering a platform for the perspectives of bold and extraordinary projects.

A viewing committee, consisting of four people with different professional backgrounds (since 2009), is responsible for the selection of this section. Next to their interest in the political and cultural happenings of the world and their curiosity towards courageous and unconventional (life) stories, this group of four is unified in a cinematic obsession for documentary film in all its topical and aesthetic forms as well as their pleasure in passionate discussion about the best documentary films for the Kassel film festival.

Obviously, the selection is only able to show a part of the increasing abundance of documentary work every year, trying to none-the-less cover a broad spectrum of topics and forms and reaching an equally broad audience during the festival days.

Short Film Compilations

185 short and mid-length documentary and experimental films will be presented at the Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival in 2023.

Filmmaking is a constant renegotiation of visibility, which produces the new and replaces and overlaps with the old. The way in which we speak of the world and create images for this purpose is highly dependent of the generation we are part of, the times and the societal circumstances we live in; this means that history is written in the present. The view upon the past is always negotiable. It remains something that can't be fixated and is rather ambivalent. The task of filmmaking – dealing with history and memory – is a challenge but it is possible, as the short films of this year's Kassel Dokfest prove. We have learned from history that there is such a thing as wrong interpretation and polarization, which incites hate, feeds and creates fears. The short films deal with this process of interpretation and encourage a debate about how we can create a narrative, which does not polarize, does not discriminate, does not label people, which takes down physical and psychological barriers and is not part of nation state discourses.

The six members of the selection committee had the task of capturing the themes and trends in contemporary film production from around 2,000 films up to a length of 65 mins submitted. The result is a program ranging from observational documentaries to abstract animations, personal essays to queer political music videos to artistic-activist field tests. From films that deeply explore interesting places to intimate family portraits, this section offers an incredible diversity of filmic examinations of reality.  

Golden Hercules – Film Program from Northern Hesse

One of the declared aims of the Kassel Dokfest is to present regional works next to the works of international filmmakers and artists – on equal terms. The festival program includes 28 experimental, animation, fiction or documentary films of filmmakers from Northern Hesse. A selection of 17 works competes in the regional competition for the Golden Hercules (3,500 €). The commitment to the region is very important for the Kassel Dokfest. The last years have shown that local talents and regional works are able to compete and that the festival can serve as a steppingstone to national and international recognition.

Eligible for the regional program are works:  

• whose directors reside in North Hesse, or
• whose directors are studying at the University of Kassel, the Kunsthochschule Kassel, or a comparable media institution in North Hesse, or
•  which were realized and produced in North Hesse.  

A Wall Is A Screen

Both guided city tour and outdoor short film screening, the Hamburg collective A Wall Is A Screen returns to Kassel. A Wall is a Screen creates a new context for the moving image and takes over neglected spaces, familiar buildings and commercial facades for ten minutes of lovingly curated short film before moving on to the next location. This temporary symbiosis between film and architecture creates a new perception of and in the public space.

Let's shed a different light onto the city's architecture and transform the nightly Kassel into a special one time venue.