As in preceding years, the most influential documentary film makers of the day travel to Leipzig for the anniversary: Those present include Joris Ivens, Paul Rotha, Chris Marker, Alberto Cavalcanti, Roman Karmen, Jerzy Bossak and Erwin Leiser.
The mood is affected by the 50th anniversary of the Great Socialist October Revolution, due in particular to the fact that this year's retrospective is devoted to "50 years of Soviet documentary films". However, the government prohibits the showing of Czech films containing the first indications of the burgeoning "Prague Spring".
The Leipziger Filmclub, in contrast, is left free rein in its choice of programme; in a nighttime showing Jürgen Böttcher's "Der Sekretär" is screened, despite being forbidden. The performance is crammed full, also due to the fact that the festival management has not included the film in its official programme. In the coming years such niches are increasingly squeezed out. [Fred Gehler]
Where the panel discussion debates the "Status, problems and current tasks of documentary films in the Arab states", students at the GDR School of Film organise a freedom appeal for Mikis Theodorakis, in which hundreds of festival participants take part.
"Loin du Vietnam" is awarded the Silver Dove in the "Long Documentary Film" category. Much in the same way as "Hanoi, Martes 13" by Santiago Alvarez and Jerry Stoll's "Sons and Daughters" it re-examines the major theme of recent years (Vietnam).
The inter-German relationship between the documentary film makers slowly begins to deteriorate: the Association of West German Short and Documentary Film Producers launches an appeal to boycott the festival.
Golden Doves
PLECHOV A NEDELE (BLASMUSIK AM SONNTAG, CSSR, Pavel Hása)
SONS AND DAUGHTERS (SÖHNE UND TÖCHTER, USA, Jerry Stoll)
HANOI, MARTES 13 (HANOI, DIENSTAG, DER 13., Cuba, Santiago Alvarez)
DRUG GORKOVO – ANDREJEVA (FREUND GORKIS – ANDREJEWA, USSR, Semjon Aranovič)
ZNATIZELJA (DIE NEUGIERDE, Animated Film, Yugoslavia, Borivoi Dovnikovič)
Silver Doves
DJECA IZ PAKLA (KINER DER HÖLLE, Yugoslavia, Suad Mrkonjič)
ENEMIES OF FREEDOM (FEINDE DER FREIHEIT, Vietnam, Said Marzoouk)
ENERGIA (ENERGIE, Poland, Wladyslaw Slesicki)
MUZEUM (MUSEUM, Poland, Jerzy Ziarnik)
LOIN DU VIETNAM (FERN VON VIETNAM, France, Alain Resnais, William Klein, Joris Ivens, Varda, Lelouch, Godard and others)
IDEMITSUMARU (Japan, Minoru Tanaka)
7 SÄTZE ÜBER DAS LERNEN (GDR, Peter Ulbrich)
AUS DEM PARADIES VERTRIEBEN (Animated Film, Bulgaria, Todor Dinov)
Special prize by the Jury
DAS DOKUMENTARFILMSCHAFFEN DER UdSSR