Programme
Belgian competition
The Belgian selection looks much further than its name suggests. From the Texan Uvalde, to the Indonesian Sumba, from the South Pole to the inside of a kidney stone; the past film year delivered a very diverse set of documentaries. Let yourself be surprised, enthralled and perhaps even composted. Both gravediggers and diehard polar climbers will find their stories in this selection. At the end of the festival, the most convincing film may call itself Best Belgian Documentary.
Kristof Van den Bergh, Eric Goens 120 min.
Ecology Historical Science
Sofie Benoot 80 min.
Gazelle Gaignaire 87 min.
Steven Janssens 73 min.
Maxime Jean-Baptiste 76 min.
Camille Ghekiere 62 min.
Jeremy Kewuan, Jimmy Hendrickx 94 min.
Louise Van Assche, Kwinten Gernay 69 min.
Ellen Vermeulen 92 min.
Belgian Selection
In the Belgian Selection category, DOCVILLE presents some of the best documentaries made in Belgium. This year, two subjects are featured that, at first glance, have nothing to do with each other, yet both play an important role in the history of Belgium: cycling champion Eddy Merckx and a series of mysterious appearances in the Belgian sky at the end of the 1980s.
Christophe Hermans, Boris Tilquin 84 min.
Historical Portrait Sport
Bram Conjaerts, Maarten Bernaerts 90 min.
Funny Historical Thrilling
International Competition
The international selection compiles documentaries from all around the world that are more than worthy of the label 'author driven documentary'. Sometimes political, always relevant, and visually stunning. In short: more than worthy of the big screen.
Monica Strømdahl 80 min.
Elizabeth Lo 94 min.
Hans Dortmans 72 min.
Olha Zhurba 95 min.
Lance Oppenheim 84 min.
Amazing stories Funny USA
Håvard Bustnes 94 min.
Luuk Bouwman 112 min.
Art Historical Politics War
Giacomo Gex 84 min.
Gabrielle Brady 96 min.
Olivier Sarbil 91 min.
Art Portrait Visually stunning War
ScienceVille
The stars align for ScienceVille this year: not only will there be a partial solar eclipse during the festival - resulting in Space Day - there is also a rock-solid selection of films about pseudoscience. Why have we been fascinated by horoscopes for thousands of years? And why does the urge to visit a medium persist for generations in the case of some people? Is all of this, after all, rooted in truth? Or could it be considered as the oldest form of therapy? In addition to this themed series, you can visit ScienceVille for in-depth panel discussions, the strongest science documentaries, intriguing short films and a broad selection for children.
Eleanor Mortimer 97 min.
Niobe Thompson 82 min.
Daniel M. Freed 51 min.
Miki Mistrati 74 min.
Max Kestner 99 min.
Nature Philosophy Science
Samer Angelone 86 min.
Stijn Van Baarle 52 min.
Art Astronomy Healthcare Science
Healthcare Historical Nature Science
Leandro Picarella 105 min.
Dr. Steven Swancoat 52 min.
Robert Stone 85 min.
Eloïse King 98 min.
Greg Kohs 83 min.
Mark Levinson 73 min.
Art Philosophy Science
ScienceVille for Kids
For all junior Marie Curies and young Einstein fans: ScienceVille for Kids is back. For two days, the Wagehuys is once again dedicated to all things scientific. Come discover for yourself what a solar eclipse looks like, take a trip around the moon or discover which Disney movies are scientifically possible. On March 29, there will once again be a festive reception at the opening film The Wild North Sea, children's champagne guaranteed.
Martijn Blekendaal 75 min.
Mark Verkerk 88 min.
Bertrand Loyer 54 min.
Historical Nature Science
Pseudo Science
Tyler Measom, Justin Weinstein 93 min.
Portrait Pseudo Science Science USA
Lana Wilson 105 min.
Daniel Claridge, Pacho Velez 74 min.
Funny Healthcare Pseudo Science Science
Peter Kerekes 99 min.
Spectrum
Spectrum brings together festival favorites and unknown gems. From education to music, from politics to failed detectives; DOCVILLE is pleased to introduce you to this must-see mix.
Nils Toftenow, Olle Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg 84 min.
Johan Van Schaeren 120 min.
Raoul Peck 105 min.
Africa Art Historical USA
Tommy Gulliksen 100 min.
Billy Corben, Jen Gatien 98 min.
Nicolas Jack Davies 127 min.
John Maggio 98 min.
Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat 107 min.
Alexis Bloom 115 min.
Coline Grando 88 min.
Outside the dox
In a documentary landscape where hybrid methods are gradually becoming the norm, there are documentaries that still manage to keep reinventing themselves. Think: Hamlet in a video game. These films challenge norms and flout genres. For anyone looking for the better film experiment, try it Outside the Dox.
Victor Kossakovsky 97 min.
Thomas Fürhapter 92 min.
Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls 89 min.
Lola Arias 82 min.
Funny Music Society Visually stunning
Charlie Shackleton 92 min.
RockVille
For one day, the legendary Depot becomes part of the festival. Rockville stands for a marathon of music documentaries: from hip-hop to EBM, to the origins of Led Zeppelin. You can unwind for a bit at Ellis Park, the animal paradise of Bad Seed Warren Ellis. Music fans, unite!
Pascal Garnier 88 min.
Bernard MacMahon 121 min.
Pietro Anton 54 min.
Justin Kurzel 104 min.
TOPICS
Films that take a critical look at the world, dare to ask questions and don't avoid hot topics, that's what TOPICS stands for. Widen your horizon and feel free to engage in conversation afterwards; inspiration enough.
Auberi Edler 118 min.
David Borenstein 81 min.
Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan 90 min.
David Borenstein, Pavel Ilyich Talankin 90 min.
Coming of Age Politics War
Patricia Franquesa 64 min.
Farahnaz Sharifi 82 min.
Asia Historical Politics
Anastasia Trofimova 129 min.
Danel Elpeleg 71 min.
Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel 75 min.
Steve Pink 90 min.
Canvas Talks
As a documentary channel par excellence, VRT CANVAS sends an expert to a selection of films. Under the name VRT CANVAS Talks, they delve deeper into a series of currently relevant themes. From education to world politics: a VRT personality provides the necessary insight.
DOCVILLE PLUS
Whoever says DOCVILLE, doesn't just say films, but also says extensive framework. Besides introductions and conclusions, there are DOCVILLE+ sessions as well: at this point, the festival has made debates and panel discussions about currently relevant themes, related to programmed films, its trademark.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) is a rewarding medium for documentary filmmakers to transport their audiences to places they've never been. This year, VR takes you to a place most people, thankfully, find hard to imagine: a Ukrainian bunker.
Sjors Swierstra, Ivanna Khitsinska 25 min.
DOCVILLE Academy
DOCVILLE not only wants to connect documentaries and audiences, but professionals can also intermingle at the festival. There are several master classes and networking opportunities for filmmakers and other members of the documentary sector.
Arist in focus: Mark Levinson
Mark Levinson began his career as a theoretical physicist and later entered Hollywood through sound engineering. He collaborated on more than 40 films, including The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley. He eventually found his calling as a documentary director. As a matter of fact, his documentary Particle Fever (DOCVILLE 2014) is chronicled as the most successful scientific documentary of all time. The new Universe in a Grain of Sand is a summary of all his previous work. It is a synthesis of science and art, much like Levinson himself.
Mark Levinson 120 min.
Mark Levinson 73 min.
Art Philosophy Science
Documentary Filmmaking and AI
That AI can do just about anything is obvious by now. Kaspar AI even provided the opening film for the latest edition of the IDFA festival. Producer and technical mastermind Mads Damsbo drops by for a conversation about AI and documentary making. What software is already out there? Where do we draw draw the line? In Isaac Asimov, a Message to the Future, the godfather of scifi gives an interview about our future, but: he doesn't do it himself, a deepfake version of the author proclaims Asimov's message. What else can AI do? And what does the future look like?
Piotr Winniewicz 85 min.
Mathias Théry 52 min.
