The Reality of a Revolution - Documentary Films from the Arab World

In its focus on the Arab world, DOK Leipzig features films from Tunisia and Egypt The upheaval in the Arab world is far from over, yet the 54th DOK Leipzig will be presenting the first documentary films from Tunisia and Egypt. Six films will be shown in the Focus on the Arab Spring which is part of the Official Programme. Most of the films will come to Leipzig straight out of the cutting room.

Some of the film makers were swept up into the chaos of the events - they show the reality that fired the revolution and caused it to spread so rapidly. Others used the opportunity to film Tahrir Square for several weeks. With their pictures these directors and film makers became not just observers, but an important part of the societal transformation.

The directors will be present at all screenings and available for discussion. In addition, the current situation in the Arab countries will be discussed by film makers and experts at a panel discussion (Arab Spring - Reality of a Revolution, 21 October, 19:30 at the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum Leipzig).

In this way a tradition that stretches back decades will continue, as since the 1960s Arab film makers have been meeting at the DOK festival, which has even been called the "home of Arab documentary film". As recently as 2006 there was an extensive special programme on Arab documentary films. Some film experts are even drawing parallels between the events in Leipzig in the autumn of 1989 and the Arab Spring of 2011.

Whether such comparisons bear themselves out can be decided at DOK Leipzig - in the cinema and during the discussions afterwards.

The programme for this year's festival with 341 documentary and animated films will be available online on

29 September.

More information: http://www.dok-leipzig.de/