Ethical and practical questions when filming under restricted conditions (2025)
The sixth thematic seminar of DocNomads Academy was held at the conference hall of Premier Kultcafé in Budapest under the overarching topic “Ethical and practical questions when filming under restricted conditions”. The freedom of the individual only extends to the extent that it interferes with the boundaries of another individual. What are the limits of documentary film? Filmmakers often find themselves in a situation where morality is in conflict with the law. Should they do the morally right thing and break the law? Or should they follow the law and behave unethically?
The first part of the seminar was lectured by guest participants Apolena Rychlíková and Katerina Vrbová, respectively the director and the editor of “Limits of Europe” (2024) which served as the case study for their masterclass on the proposed thematic. The second part of the seminar was led by renowned Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa who presented a masterclass on his filmmaking methods in relation to his recent film “The Invasion” (2024) which was filmed for over a 2-year period to portray the life of the civilian population as a statement of Ukrainian resilience under the Russian invasion.
14 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY
PREMIER KULTCAFE, CONFERENCE HALL
Moderator: PÉTER KEREKES
10:00-11:40 - Screening of Limits of Europe (2024) by Apolena Rychlíková
Synopsis
An asparagus farm in Germany, a hotel in Ireland and a retirement home in France. Prominent Czech journalist Saša Uhlová has taken two years out of her schedule to go undercover with a hidden camera in the European cheap labour market, where low-wage Eastern European workers live in bunk beds and toil from dawn to dusk in Western societies. And it is not a part-time project Saša has embarked on. With body and soul, and with dedication and empathy for her new colleagues, she literally works her way into social inequality to document its consequences. She leaves her husband, her four children and her seriously ill father at home in the Czech Republic without the opportunity to be home for a visit – just like the millions of other invisible Eastern workers who keep the wheels turning in the West. But this uncompromising attitude comes at a personal cost. ‘The Limits of Europe’ is a courageous and unsentimental film that strikes a blow for human dignity across borders.
12:15-14:00 – Masterclass with APOLENA RYCHLÍKOVÁ (director) and KATERINA VRBOVÁ (editor)
APOLENA RYCHLÍKOVÁ
Apolena Rychlíková is a Czech journalist, film scriptwriter, director and radio documentary filmmaker.
She is the recipient of the Journalist Award for Best Commentary and the Journalist Quail Award for the best journalists under 33.
She was the first Czech woman in history to be nominated for the prestigious European Press Příze in the opinion text category. In 2017, her film Limits of Work won the Czech Joy Award for Best Czech Documentary and the Audience Award at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival and Czech critiques award.
Apolena Rychlíková is also the author of several books. She lectures externally at FAMU in Prague and collaborates with a number of leading Czech media outlets. She was a contributor and editor of the A2larm journalistic server for eight years, and since May 2024 she has been running the Pagenotfound.cz journalistic platform, where is co-editor in chief.
KATERINA KRUTSKÁ VRBOVÁ
Katerina Krutská Vrbová graduated from the Editing Department at FAMU in Prague.
She is an editor of Czech and foreign documentary films, and also works in genre fiction. She is particularly interested in socially engaged films and human rights issues.
Her work is characterized by extensive work with sound and image, relying on the power of film language and imagination. As an editor, she participated in the documentary film Borders of Europe by Apolena Rychlíková, premiere 2024 CPH:DOX.
She collaborated on the Venezuelan documentary Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (associate editor) by Anabel Rodrigues, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
She is an editor on the documentary We Intended to Cause Havoc directed by Gio Arlotta, premiering at the 2019 IndieLisboa Inter-national Film Festival.
15:00-18:00 – Screening of The Invasion (2024) by Sergei Loznitsa
Synopsis:
Ten years after the release of his epic film “Maidan”, Sergei Loznitsa continues his Ukrainian chronicles and documents his country’s struggle against the Russian invasion. Shot over a two-year period, the film portrays the life of the civilian population all over Ukraine and presents a unique and ultimate statement of Ukrainian resilience in the face of a barbaric invasion. In the second part of his Ukrainian diptych, Loznitsa paints a monumental canvas of a nation determined to defend its right to exist.
18:30-20:30 – Masterclass of SERGEI LOZNITSA
SERGEI LOZNITSA
Sergei Loznitsa was born on September 5th, 1964. He grew up in Kiev (Ukraine), and in 1987 graduated from the Kiev Polytechnic with a degree in Applied Mathematics. In 1987-1991 Sergei worked as a scientist at the Kiev Institute of Cybernetics, specializing in artificial intelligence research.
In 1997 Loznitsa graduated from the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, where he studied feature filmmaking.
Sergei Loznitsa has been making films since 1996, and by now he has directed 26 award-winning documentaries and 4 fiction films.
Loznitsa’s feature debut “MY JOY” (2010) premiered in the main competition at the Festival de Cannes and was followed by the feature film “IN THE FOG” (2012), which was awarded FIPRESCI prize at the 65th Festival de Cannes. In 2017, Sergei Loznitsa presented his third feature “A GENTLE CREATURE” in the competition of the Festival de Cannes. In 2018, Loznitsa received the prize for Best Directing of the Un Certain Regard section of Festival de Cannes for his fourth feature film, “DONBASS”.
In 2013 Sergei Loznitsa founded a film production company ATOMS & VOID.
Sergei Loznitsa’s feature-length documentary “MAIDAN” (2014), the chronicles of the Ukrainian revolution, had its world premiere at a Séance Special of Festival de Cannes. His subsequent feature length documentaries, “THE EVENT” (2015), “AUSTERLITZ” (2016), “THE TRIAL” (2018) and “STATE FUNERAL” (2019) were presented at the Special Screenings of the Venice Film Festival. In 2021 Sergei received a Special Jury Prize of the L’Oeil D’Or Award in Cannes for his film “BABI YAR. CONTEXT”. Loznitsa’s Ukrainian War chronicles “THE INVASION” (2024) was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Sergei Loznitsa continues to work on both documentary and fiction projects.
