38. Kasseler Dokfest opens its doors | Recommendations for the first days of the festival

We would like to draw your attention to the following screenings and events on the first days of the festival:

Mr. Bachmann and His Class | Wednesday 17.11. | 1.45 p.m. at Gloria Cinema
At a comprehensive school in the town of Stadtallendorf in Hesse, the opinions of the 14 to 16-year-olds from 12 countries often diverge widely. Whether it’s Jamie, who thinks the support measures for his fellow pupils are unfair, or Stefani, who expresses her displeasure with same-sex relationships. In the middle is teacher Dirk Bachmann, who has a fondness for rock music and usually wears colourful crocheted hats. With sensitivity and patience, he accompanies his pupils through everyday school life and almost imperceptibly etches himself into their memories.Maria Speth won Deutscher Filmpreis 2021.

The Other Side of the River | Thursday 18.11. | 5.15 p.m. at Gloria Cinema
19 year-old Hala escapes an arranged marriage by crossing the Euphrates River to find a new home at a Kurdish Women’s Protection Unit – a unit which soon after liberates her hometownof Minbij from the Islamic State. For her female fellow soldiers, the enemy is not just IS, but patriarchy in general, with the ideal of marriage as the ultimate oppressive institution. The brutalities these young women have experienced at the hands of their husbands and within their own families lead them to the other side of the river where they are trained in combat and educated in the feminist ideals of the Kurdish Women’s Movement.Hala is deeply inspired by these teachings and resolutely dedicates herself to the promise of not only freeing more women, but also liberating her sisters at all costs. Yet is there still space for freedom and even love in Hala’s life when her mission is all-consuming? Antonia Kilian won Hessischer Filmpreis 2021.

DokfestForum takes place in cooperation with the Fridericianum and directs its focus on the intersection of film, documentary, and visual art.

WED. 17.11. | 6.30 – 8 p.m
Introduction: Julia Schleis. Filmscreening and Talk: Andrea Büttner: LITTLE WORKS and WHAT IS SO TERRIBLE ABOUT CRAFT? / DIE PRODUKTE DER MENSCHLICHEN HAND (in German).

THU. 18.11. | 6.30 – 8 p.m.
Introduction: Julia Schleis. Filmscreening and Talk: Pauline Curnier-Jardin: QU’UN SANG IMPUR and FIREFLIES (LUCCIOLE) (in English).

All events as part of the DokfestForum are free of charge. Admission to the exhibitions of Martine Syms and Toba Khedoori at the Fridericianum is free with the Dokfest accreditation. Otherwise it is 6,00 €, or reduced 4,00 €. The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Thursday 8 p.m.).

On Wednesday evening, two exhibitions open one after the other:

Exhibition Monitoring opening Wednesday at 8 p.m. | Kasseler Kunstverein

The special exhibition Débordements | Überläufe by students of École Supérieure d’Art Pays Basque (Bayonne-Biarritz, France) and the class of Film and Moving Image of Kunsthochschule Kassel | Opening Wednesday at 9 p.m. | ruruHaus

All films available on DokfestOnline will be activated for streaming 90 minutes after their screening in the festival cinema on Wednesday and Thursday!