Leipzig – September 5, 2023: In a highly anticipated event, the 66th edition of the renowned DOK Leipzig film festival is set to commence on October 8, 2023, with the world premiere of Arndt Ginzel’s gripping documentary, “White Angel – The End of Marinka.”
This compelling documentary, crafted by the distinguished German investigative reporter Arndt Ginzel, delves into the harrowing experiences of police officers engaged in evacuation operations in the strife-torn eastern Ukraine during the year 2022.
The film meticulously chronicles the evacuation and rescue missions carried out in the quaint town of Marinka, situated in the Donetsk region, spanning from spring to autumn in 2022. The extraordinary footage captured up close is courtesy of a GoPro camera strapped to the police officers who tirelessly traversed the town in a conspicuous white van, affectionately referred to by the local populace as the “White Angel.” In the spring of 2023, Arndt Ginzel and his dedicated team returned to Ukraine, where they engaged with both the valiant rescuers and the resilient survivors. Their conversations unveiled heart-wrenching tales of loss, pain, and grief, juxtaposed with glimpses of hope and dreams, all set against the backdrop of Marinka’s tragic demise, a town that now exists only in memories.
Christoph Terhechte, the festival director, reflects on the documentary, stating, “The survivors’ testimony speaks of loss, of pain and grief, but also of hopes and dreams. More than a film about war, ‘White Angel – The End of Marinka’ is a document of humanity and a longing for peace.”
Arndt Ginzel, an accomplished journalist based in Leipzig, has a distinguished track record in producing television documentaries for leading German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. His unwavering commitment to war reporting was acknowledged with the prestigious Netzwerk Recherche’s Leuchtturm-Preis (Lighthouse Award) in 2022 for his fearless coverage of Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
Ginzel’s investigative pursuits have taken him to conflict zones and crisis-ridden regions across the globe. Notably, he exposed the atrocities committed by Russia’s Wagner Group in Syria and unearthed a network of arms dealers tied to right-wing extremists affiliated with the German political party AfD in Croatia.
Ginzel’s journalistic endeavors have made a lasting impact, exemplified by his groundbreaking investigation into the “Sachsensumpfaffäre” (Saxony Swamp Affair) published in “Der Spiegel” and “Zeit Online” in 2007. He, along with Markus Weller, received the Bavarian Television Award in 2017 for their TV report titled “Spiel im Schatten – Putins unerklärter Krieg gegen den Westen” (Operating in the Shadows – Putin’s Undeclared War on the West). Furthermore, his report “Putins geheimes Netzwerk – Wie Russland den Westen spaltet” (Putin’s Secret Network – How Russia Divides the West) earned a nomination for a German Television Award in the same year. In 2019, he was honored with the Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media by the Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig for his investigative work related to the Pegida demonstrations in Dresden.
The much-anticipated opening of DOK Leipzig will take place in CineStar 4 on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 7 pm, featuring a special film talk with director Arndt Ginzel.
The complete film selection and program schedule, along with ticket sales, will be available online on September 21, marking the beginning of advance ticket sales.
DOK Leipzig, the celebrated documentary film festival, will unfold on-site from October 8 to 15, 2023, promising a week of insightful and thought-provoking cinema experiences for attendees.”
