The best documentary of the year was awarded in DocPoint
DocPoint – The best new documentaries have been awarded at the Helsinki Documentary Film Festival. Susanna Helke‘s Ruthless Times – Songs of Care won the national competition. Ruslan Fedotov‘s Where Are We Headed won the international competition.
Finland’s largest documentary film festival DocPoint awarded the best documentaries of the year and their authors in Helsinki on Saturday 5 February.
The best domestic and international film was awarded the DocPoint-Yle prize worth 5,000 euros in the DocPoint competitions. In addition, the international jury made two special mentions. The audience voted for their favorite film in an audience poll funded by The Documentary Guild.
Susanna Helke’s film RUTHLESS TIMES – SONGS OF CARE won the national DocPoint competition. The gloomy humorous film explores the state of Finnish public care, where employees try to cope with conditions where efficiency and results have become the most important values. The film was produced by Road Movies Oy.
The international jury appreciated the film’s creative creativity and the way it lived deep into humanity. The challenges of public care are not only relevant in Finnish society, but the challenges related to the aging of the population apply all over the world.
“This is such a great honor that it makes the organs tremble! It’s amazing to think that such a professional international jury has received the film this way. I wonder in advance how this film will appeal to those who are not from home. How do we take care of every member of society, how do we take responsibility? I am very glad that these themes also opened up to the international jury, ”comments director Susanna Helke.
Ruthless Times – Songs of Care also won an audience vote. All new Finnish films participated in the audience’s favorite competition.
Eight new Finnish feature films took part in the national competition. Inka Achté‘s GOLDEN LAND received a special mention in the national competition. The film is produced by Napafilms. The film tells the story of a Finnish-Somali-Mustafa who returns to Somalia with his family to open a mine on the lands of his family.
The winner of the international competition comes from the Moscow metro
Ruslan Fedotov WHERE ARE WE HEADED won the DocPoint international competition. Fedotov’s film follows people on the Moscow metro, offering a topical cross-section of Russian society and people.
The jury was impressed with how Fedotov’s film created a colorful portrait of contemporary Russian society. The film forces us to wonder again and again, “Where are they going?” – not only as a journey for individual tourists via Moscow’s largest metro, but also as a political issue for Russia itself.
11 new international films took part in the international competition. Jessica Beshir‘s FAYA DAYI received a special mention for its international film contestants. The peaceful film of Ethiopian-Mexican Beshir is an enchanting audiovisual story about the intoxicating khat plant, the problems it brings, and its cultural significance in Ethiopia.
DocPoint is running. The festival will continue until Sunday 6.2.
DocPoint competitions
National competition
International competition
Source: DocPoint Film Events