Docudays UA-2015 presents the festival’s juries, who will select the best films in three competitions: DOCU/LIFE, DOCU/RIGHT and DOCU/SHORT.
Today we continue with the short introduction of the members of DOCU/LIFE jury. This competition presents full-length creative documentaries where problems with human rights observance are shown with artistic means of expression.
Melissa Lindgren (Sweden) is a curator and project developer in the cultural field in Sweden
Melissa Lindgren is a program director of Tempo Documentary Festival which has a 17 years history and is the largest festival of its kind in Sweden. From the beginning the main purpose of the festival was to screen films which the Swedes couldn’t see anywhere else. Nowadays Tempo exceeds the limits of a screen and rapidly turns into a cross-media forum notable far beyond the boarders of Sweden, the festival focuses on photography, radio and experimental projects in different genres, remaining loyal to documentary cinema ideals. The transition of the festival to a new level is Melissa’s merit.
Melissa graduated from the University of Gothenburg with a Master in Fine Arts focusing on curation for film and video. She feels really proud that Tempo broad cross-media component is her idea which she has cherished for years. Melissa is also the co-founder and festival director of the Cinema Queer International Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in Sweden.
Specially for this year Docudays UA Melissa prepared a program of the best films from the Tempo festival. It is known that the Swedes consider themselves to be broad-minded, that is why films shot there are special. Three films included in the Tempo presents selection will surprise the audience with a creative approach to documentary genre and broaden the understanding of how non-fiction films can be shot today.
Melissa was born in Stockholm and graduated from the University of Gothenburg with a Master in Fine Arts focusing on curation for film and video. In 2009 she started working at the Tempo Documentary Festival where she is currently the program director. Melissa is also the co-founder and festival director of the Cinema Queer International Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in Sweden.
Aliona van der Horst (the Netherlands) is a director
A Dutch director Aliona van der Horst was born and spent the first years of her life in Russia. When he was a child her family immigrated to the Netherlands. When the time came to choose a career, Aliona decided to try herself as an interpreter. As her speciality she chose culture of her first homeland – at Amsterdam University she studied the Russian language and literature.
After she first saw a documentary film shooting, Aliona van der Horst understood that it was exactly what she would be doing further. During the following years she studied directing at the Dutch Film Academy. Aliona’s first film The Lady with the White Hat (1997) was much-acclaimed. Since then she has received multiple awards for her films. Most often cinema critics note her original poetic touch.
By the way, Docudaus UA spectators already enjoyed a chance to get acquainted with Aliona’s unique director manner. In 2013 her poetic, sensitive and a beautiful film about women and their bodies was screened within the DOCU/ART non-competition program.
Van der Horst has made five documentaries which have won international awards. She studied Russian literature
at Amsterdam University and directing at the Dutch Film Academy. She was awarded the Jan Kassies award for the poetic touch in her films.
Igor Gaidai (Ukraine) is a photographer
Igor Gaidai says he hasn’t left hold of a camera since his 4th grade. When he was to become a student, he didn’t hesitate to choose the Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv Theater Institute specializing in cinematography. His graduation work Dragon, created in cooperation with the Greek director Antonis Papadopoulos, was awarded at the Molodist Filmfest. But since then there was only a photocamera. Up to now Igor Gaidai was widely known as an advertising photographer: his works were published in Ukrainian and foreign magazines.
Later there was a period of portraits: Ukrainians. The Beginning of the Third Millennium, RAZOM.UA, 9 Months + 3 Days and of course Faces of Maidan, a series which he successfully demonstrated in many countries. In particular, Faces of Maidan exhibition was demonstrated at our festival last year, and from October till December the project visited five Ukrainian cities within the Travelling Docudays UA. Gaidai comments this series:”Maidan started many processes in our country which grinded at a halt for a long time. All people were brothers there and advocates of freedom and European values such as transparent business, normal relationship between people and between citizens and power, normal society. These photos are to remember and to reconsider the landmark events”.
This year Igor Gaidai as a master who can see a personality in a crowd, and to emphasize his or her individuality, in cooperation with other judges, will try to find among DOCU/LIFE contest participants films shot in the genre of creative documentary in which general human problems are revealed by expressive artistic means.
A founder and co-owner of the Gaidai Studio company and the Camera gallery. Author of three photobooks: Ukrainians. The Beginning of the Third Millennium, 9 Months + 3 Days, and RAZOM.UA. In 1985 he graduated from the Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv Theater Institute (specializing in cinematography). He was a part of the group that founded the Photoartists Union of Ukraine.
