11. Nude at Heart (Yoichiro Okutani, Japan)
The overall atmosphere, despite the beauty of the occasional performance interspersed throughout the film, is one of decrepitness with some splashes of nostalgia, as mirrored in the rundown parlors, the lack of audience and the evident knowledge of the all those still working in the field that the concept of the odoriko is coming to an end. On the other hand, that the women working as odoriko are not different from any other working women, is also highlighted, in a comment that emphasizes the permeating realism of the movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
12. Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege (Abdallah Al-Khatib, Palestine)
Throughout the movie, it becomes evident that the demonstrations, the cries of the Palestinians, and everything that is happening daily inside the camp would not see the light of day without the director's camera. Thus, “Little Palestine, Diary of a Siege” fulfills one of the main purposes of the medium, something that adds even more to its undisputed quality. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
13. Inside the Red Brick Wall (Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers, Hong Kong)
“Inside the Red Brick Wall” is a very well-edited, but at times hard-to-watch documentary about an important event within the 2019 protests following the introduction of the extradition bill in Hong Kong. The numerous perspective of the siege, and the painstakingly long periods of waiting before the next attack occurs give the impression you are watching footage from a war zone, which again emphasizes the importance of processing the impact of 2019 and the mark it has left on Hong Kong. (Rouven Linnarz)
14. Dorm (So Yo-hen, Taiwan)
“Dorm” is definitely a weird movie, particularly since its premises occasionally seem like those of a horror movie. At the same time, however, the experimental approach is quite eloquent in the social issues So Yo-hen wanted to portray, and through its uniqueness, truly reinvigorating for the whole genre of documentary. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
15. Holy Rights (Farha Khatun, India)
Debalina & Priyanka Biswas's cinematography captures all the significant points of their journey, through a rather close distance that also shows that Khatun has truly won the trust of her “protagonists”. Sankha's editing connects the various types of footage nicely, and in a rather fast pace that allows the story to unfold in ideal fashion. “Holy Rights” is a very interesting, very well-shot documentary about a kind of effort that can truly bring change. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
16. The Bad Man (Lee Yong Chao, Myanmar)
Regarding the production values, Lee kept it as simple as possible, particularly since the movie is a genuine one-man show with him acting, also as co-producer, editor and cinematographer. This approach, however, allows the source material to shine, thus emerging as a rather ideal one. “The Bad Man” is an impressive documentary that highlights in the best way a life people outside of countries that are still tormented by war cannot even fathom, and that is where its most important asset lies. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
17. The Glorious Pain (Le My Cuong, Vietnam)
“The Glorious Pain” is an excellent documentary that highlights an aspect of Vietnamese cultural tradition that is about to go extinct and a group of people who are poor, old, tired, but definitely happy. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
18. Radiograph of A Family (Firouzeh Khosrovani, Iran)
“Radiograph of a Family” is a great documentary that manages to combine artfulness with a very interesting story and a parallel to the history of Iran, through a rather brave approach due to its intimacy. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
19. Keep Rolling (Man Lim-chung, Hong Kong)
Above all, however, Ann Hui is a great individual, cherished by both associates and friends for her character. The fact becomes quite evident in the documentary through the appearances and comments of so many people, including names like Hou Hsiao-hsen, Jia Zhangke, Tsui Hark, Andy Lau, Fruit Chan, Mark Lee, Sylvia Chang etc, all of which have something positive to say for both the filmmakers and the human being. Man Lim-chung, a veteran art director and costume designer who has cooperated with Hui on a numbers of films, does his movie debut here, with a documentary that highlights all the aforementioned aspects in a maximalist, extremely thorough, but also very sensitive approach. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
20. A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces (Shengze Zhu, USA)
As you go through life and experience the various physical as well as emotional changes in yourself, so does your home change over time. While the superficial changes in the urban or rural landscape define the most obvious developments, there are those underneath, invisible to the eye of the outsider, but which you, having been born in this environment, notice nevertheless. For a person such as director Shengze Zhu, this must be a mixture of both because her hometown of Wuhan has been through these developments, but also has been at the center of a worldwide pandemic in the last years. However, her documentary “A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces”, which has received the Caligari Film Award at Berlin International Film Festival, is not just about this event, but a very personal tale about the idea of home and, above all, the ever-changing landscape of our memory. (Rouven Linnarz)
