DOCVIEW PRESENTS DOCUMENTARY FILMS FROM THE GULF OF FINLAND REGION

DOCview, a new feature of the DocPoint - Helsinki documentary film festival, focuses on film culture and filmmakers from the Gulf of Finland region. DOCview includes the DOCview Videotheque and the DOCview Programme. The videotheque is targeted at international distributors and commissioning editors, as well as other professional audiences. The programme offers festival-goers a chance to see the gems of this year's selection. The patrons of DOCview are Digital Film Finland and Finnlab.

DOCview acts as a window to the world of documentary film culture in countries surrounding the Gulf of Finland. Its aim is to exhibit the diversity of documentary film production found in Finland, Sweden, Russia, and the Baltic countries and to further the distribution of the selected films on an international scale. Consisting of a carefully picked selection of current and high-standard material, DOCview's key concept is quality over quantity. DOCview also offers Finnish and visiting filmmakers a unique opportunity to create personal international contacts.

The DOCview programme consists of films from DocPoint's selection of New Finnish Documentaries and international films selected by invitation. All films selected for DocPoint's New Finnish Documentaries programme in previous years are automatically included in the DOCview videotheque.

The DOCview programme includes Armbryterskan från Ensamheten by Lisa Munthen and Helena Ahlsson (The Armwrestler from Solitude, Sweden, 2004) and Compadre by Mikael Wiström (Sweden, 2004), which sparked international interest as part of the IDFA's programme last November. Representing the Baltic countries is Laila Pakalnina's (The Bus) most recent film Dream Land (Leiputrija, Latvia, 2 004). Three Russian films are included in the programme, Wedding of Silence by Pavel Medvedev (Russia, 2003), Factory by Sergey Loznitsa ( Russia, 2004), and Life in Peace by Pavel Kostomarov and Antoine Cattin. (Russia, 2004).

The DOCview videotheque will consist of viewing booths at the Old Student House. Admission to the videotheque is reserved for DOCview's accredited professionals only. All films in the videotheque have English subtitles. To apply for accreditation to DocPoint and the DOCview videotheque, fill in the accreditation form for festival guests at the DocPoint website at www.docpoint.info/eng.

DocPoint - Helsinki Documentary Film Festival will be held between the 12th and the 16th of January, 2005.