Since 2014, MDOC-International Documentary Festival of Melgaço has been focusing on a unique event. Recognized inside and outside of Portugal. MDOC focuses on three anchor axes for reflection – border, memory and identity, always dealing with the issues of migration and the displacement of human beings. Founded in a predominantly rural environment, MDOC dialogues with the territory and questions local communities about their memories and the future that emerges from an increasingly globalized world. And it does so through the project Who are we here?
MDOC – Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival will commence from 1 to 7 August and aims to promote and disseminate documentary films and contribute to an audiovisual archive about the territory. In the running for the Jean-Loup Passek Award, MDOC selected 32 documentaries that reflect the author’s point of view on social, individual and cultural issues. The Jean-Loup Passek Award is named after the historian and critic of French cinema who donated much of his estate to the municipality of Melgaço: photographs, posters, books, documents, cameras and other historical devices, which originated the Melgaço Museum of Cinema. The Official Jury for the Jean-Loup Passek Award is made up of Aida Vallejo, professor of documentary film at the University of the Basque Country, Anna Huth, Director of the Institute of Film and Theater Arts at the University of Silesia, Poland, and professor at the Kieslowski Film School, Carlos Natálio, film critic and teacher in cinema at Escola das Artes (EA), from the Catholic University of Portugal, Juan Pablo Gonzalez, Mexican director and professor at the California Institute of Arts (Cal Arts) and Marion Schmidt, co-director of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE).
The films are also candidates for the D. Quijote Prize, awarded by the FICC, International Federation of Film Clubs, which nominated a Jury consisting of Manuela Lucchesu (Italy), member of FICC/IFFS, Margarida Mateus (Portugal), president of Plano Extraordinário – Tomar Film Club and Ponnam Ravichandra (India), journalist and president of the Karimnagar Film Society (KAFISO).
The Jean-Loup Passek Award for the Best Film Poster will be awarded to the designer of an original poster created for a film with Portuguese or Galician production.
Aside from the awards, MDOC – Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival will also present various side programmes, including the new X-RAYDOC section, which is a deep dive into a singular documenbtary film. For 2022, this film is an analysis of Eduardo Coutinho’s Man Marked for Death, 20 Years Later. Also, Director Mercedes Álvarez coordinates the «Looking and Filming» workshop and Felipe M. Guerra introduces youngsters to the world of documentary film-making.
There will be many more events and films on hand. Find complete information on tickets and programme – HERE
