Doc. Festival Munich: Arte co-productions conquer the prices!

Doc. Festival Munich: Arte co-productions conquer the prices!

München, Deutschland - On May 18, 2025, a significant honor was awarded at the 40th Doc. Festival Munich. The Arte co-production "Silent Observers" was awarded the prestigious prize Viktoria Dok.PurTational Main Competition. The jury emphasized that the film not only offers creative access to animals, but also reflects the importance and value of the animals for human existence in a remote Bulgarian mountain village.

The first award of the evening went to Eliza Petkova for "Silent Observers" (RBB/Arte, Red Carpet, Wood Water Films, Bulgaria/Germany 2024). The documentary looks at the interactions between six animals and the villagers and is known for its experimental soundtrack and meticulously planned details that underline respect for local traditions.

audience prices for women's perspectives

Another highlight of the festival was the award of "Writing Hawa" with the audience award. This Arte co-production, which was created by Najiba Noori and her brother Rasul Noori (Arte France, Tag Film, Afghanistan/France/Netherlands/Qatar 2024), illuminates the lives of Afghan women over three generations. "Writing Hawa" contains the moving portrait of Hawa, the mother of the filmmaker, who starts and learns to read and write her own business at over 50 years. Najiba Noori, who fled to France in 2021 in front of the Taliban, completely completed the film from exile.

The work addresses the challenges that Afghan women currently have to cope with. Zahra, niece of the director, also plays a central role here. At the age of twelve, she is violated by her father and finds refuge near Hawa. Najiba Noori, who previously worked for organizations such as Huffington Post and UN Women, uses their first long documentary to honor the strong inheritance of strong female role models in Afghanistan.

women in resistance to the Taliban

The context in which "Writing Hawa" and similar documentaries act is of great urgency. Since the return of the Taliban to Kabul over three years ago, the life of the population, especially that of women, has changed dramatically. The documentary "Bread & Roses", which shows the struggle of courageous women like Zarah Mohammadi in Kabul, underlines this reality. Zarah, who celebrated her engagement on August 14, 2021, is exposed to the brutal invasion of the Taliban the next day.

women are no longer allowed to work, must be fully veiled in public, and girls are prohibited from visiting secondary schools. Zarah Mohammadi organizes protests against the Taliban and documents her experiences together with other activists such as Sharifa and Taranoma with secretly twisted videos. These films impressively show the contrast between the highly educated women and the repressive structures of the Taliban.

The director Sarah Mani received support from the well -known actress Jennifer Lawrence to make women hear. According to Human Rights Watch, the situation for women in Afghanistan has deteriorated further due to stricter laws. Some of these women, such as Zahra, Sharifa and Taranoma, were able to successfully leave the country, and the European Court of Justice has awarded Afghan women to refugee status.

The documentary "Bread & Roses" will be published on Apple TV+ on November 22, which further reinforced the meaning of the stories that she tells and steep global attention to the ongoing struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan.