Festival Diary Day 10

Yesterday, we experienced another very special evening. “Love & Trouble” follows a married couple over the course of 10 years. After the birth of their child, Kerry and Kenny’s marriage seems to be falling apart. Kenny’s post-traumatic stress disorder is triggered by the baby’s crying, and he struggles to distinguish between reality and his own fears. But they don’t give up. We accompany them through their healing process, both individually and together, over a decade. The documentary takes us on an emotional journey through many different feelings. The themes are heavy, yet they never fall into hopelessness. At many points, the audience laughs, as healing can sometimes also feel light and beautiful.

After the film, protagonist Kerry and director Amy Hardie took to the stage together, sharing an honest and emotional reflection on their filming experience. Psychologist Matthias Schwannauer was there as an expert to answer questions from the audience. For me, it was a wonderful way to close the first Dokumentale, and one of my personal highlights.

The last 10 days were filled with favorite moments. Here are a few “Dokumentale Favorites” from our team:

Lydia Band, who did the guest management, writes:

"I had ten wonderful festival days packed with interesting and lovely encounters with all our fantastic guests from around the world. It was such an honor to work with so many inspiring and committed directors, producers, and protagonists, sharing their perspectives at Dokumentale!"

Ütz, who edited this year’s Dokumentale trailer and is part of our technical team, writes:

"Well, it’s pretty great when you see your films popping up all around the city. Or right here in the foyer of the Living."

Claire, who helped as a volunteer on the editorial team, writes:

"My favorite festival moment was on the last evening after the screening of ‘Love & Trouble’, when the director sat down with someone from the audience after the Q&A, and the two shared their feelings about the film."

And I, Kajo, can barely choose between all the highlights. One particularly impressive moment was an interview I did with director Meritxell Campos Olivé and producer Dieter Meier. Scientists, who had no dance experience, suddenly began developing choreography in front of the camera to express their emotions. It was a truly fascinating conversation, which you’ll soon be able to read here on the Dokumentale website.

We hope you enjoyed the festival as much as we did. See you soon!