Biography Dox: Portraits of Inspirational Individuals

Film portraits of a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a young scientist who unexpectedly faced a great ethical dilemma, a director who uses fine arts to recover from an illness and a filmmaker who uncompromisingly marked European film history with his engaged works are part of this year’s ZagrebDox Biography Dox section.

Inspirational and optimistic, Mission: Joy - Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, co-directed by Oscar winner Louie Psihoyos with Peggy Callahan, provides insight into the friendship between the two charismatic spiritual leaders and fighters for justice, peace and freedom – the Tibetan leader Dalai Lama and the South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu. In a vibrant conversation, exchanging thoughts, attitudes and wise life lessons, the two Nobel Prize winners discuss the idea of happiness, with mutual respect and a healthy dose of teasing. This entertaining film, which won a special mention at the Palm Springs International Film Festival after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, reminds of the constant need to preserve truly universal values.

An ambitious Finnish meteorologist, faced with a real ‘Faustian’ challenge, is the central figure in the film How to Kill a Cloud by director Tuija Halttunen. After accepting an invitation to take part in a research on making artificial rain in the desert climate of the United Arab Emirates, the young scientist realises that the project also carries a number of moral dilemmas. This observational, ambient documentary on clouds, environmental engineering and decisions that can have far-reaching consequences premiered at the CPH: DOX festival, and won the Best Nature Film Award at the Jihlava Film Festival.

In a completely original way, in the film locks & keys, water, trees, British artist and filmmaker Penny Andrea confronts her own illness with the help of art. Using only her own drawings and voice, the director embarks on a fascinating search for answers, acceptance and comfort, while creating a film that celebrates the power of creativity and the power of art to heal the spirit and provide hope. This bold, direct and deeply moving film won a special mention at Kasseler Dokfest.

Janko Baljak’s documentary ŽŽŽ (Journal about Želimir Žilnik) is a tribute to the great director Želimir Žilnik and his over half a century long film career. We follow the filmmaker of a specific docudrama style with a consistent and sincere interest in the problems of the working class as he tries to complete his decades-long lost early film of Freedom or Comics, censored 50 years ago. However, in the form of a kind of road film, ŽŽŽ takes us on a journey through time and space, with visits to locations where Žilnik’s previous works were filmed, including Early Works, the winner of Golden Bear in Berlin.

The upcoming ZagrebDox will also screen five short films by Želimir Žilnik, made in the mid-1970s in Munich: Inventory, Public Execution, House Orders, Under the Protection of the State and Farewell. United by the subject of precarious living conditions for marginalised social groups such as foreign workers, these films are prime examples of the author’s engaged practice and uncompromising belief that the film medium should be at the service of those threatened with being pushed to the margins of society. Želimir Žilnik is also a guest at the festival as one of the mentors of this year’s ZagrebDox Pro event intended for students and emerging filmmakers.