In the wintertime before the end of the year, DAFilms online documentary cinema traditionally presents a selection of the most watched films in the Best of DAFilms curated program. The collection features the most remarkable documentary films which received an online premiere in 2019 on DAFilms, including works by renowned filmmakers like Želimir Žilnik, Peter Mettler and the late Gustav Deutsch. The viewers also lovedsuccessful festival films about current events like Brexitannia, Meteors and Machines. In 2020, DAFilms will expand into North and South America, Poland and Slovakia with special versions of the website and tailored film programs.
The Best of DAFilms 2019 curated program is co-created by the viewers and the films they watched or searched the most. “Each year, we add 100+ films handpicked among the best of international arthouse cinema. These include established documentary filmmakers, festival hits as well as works by emerging young filmmakers. We are always happy to present the films deemed best by our viewers at the end of the year, and to see that they have a similar taste as we do,” says DAFilms executive director Diana Tabakov.
This year, the viewers loved successful festival films Meteors following the events in contemporary Turkey, the unique insight into Indian textile factories in the film Machines, and Michael Glawogger’s unfinished travelogue with the telling title Untitled. Another favourite was Becoming Animal by directing duo Peter Mettler and Emma Davie addressing the relation between man and nature together with philosopher David Abram. The viewers also had a chance to watch the last major work by found footage master Gustav Deutsch How We Live – Messages to the Family. Želimir Žilnik’s films are yet another popular part of the program, including his latest work The Most Beautiful Country in the World following the story of an Afghan boy trying to settle down in Vienna.
All films from the Best of DAFilms 2019 curated program are available for online streaming or legal download at DAFilms.com. Besides the selected films, the catalogue includes almost 2000 films presenting the best of Czech and international cinema. The monthly or yearly subscription can be gifted as a Christmas present via a gift voucher.
In 2020, DAFilms launches DAFilms Americas and other language versions of the website
Since 2006, DAFilms online documentary cinema has provided access to quality arthouse films online. Besides the Czech and international versions of the website, DAFilms.com launches a Slovak, Polish and American version in January 2020. For each territory, we will curate a unique program complementing the international titles by local fiction and documentary films.“The American continent is a territory where the VOD market may seem fully saturated; however, it is lacking a service with a focus on quality arthouse and documentary cinema. From our experience with American festivals, the demand for these films is huge,“ says the program director of the American version of the website Kristyna Balaban to explain why the VOD service decided to enter this territory.
Best of DAFilms 2019 List
The Dreamed Ones – d. Ruth Beckermann
Machines – d. Rahul Jain
Exit – d. Karen Winther
Untitled – d. Michael Glawogger, Monika Willi
On the Water – d. Goran Dević
The Most Beautiful Country in the World – d. Želimir Žilnik
The Congo Tribunal – d. Milo Rau
Becoming Animal – d. Peter Mettler, Emma Davie
Brexitannia – d. Timothy George Kelly
How We Live – Messages to the Family – d. Gustav Deutsch
Central Bus Station – d. Tomáš Elšík
Meteors – d. Gürcan Keltek
Calabria – d. Pierre-François Sauter
Picturesque Epochs – d. Péter Forgács
The Last Self-portrait – d. Marek Kuboš
Home Abroad – d. Boan Wang
Maison du Bonheur – d. Sofia Bohdanowicz
Tomorrow – d. Yuliya Shatun
I Am Gagarin – d. Olga Darfy
Going South – d. Dominic Gagnon
