Festival Highlights: Breaking the Silence

Above the rooftops of Berlin, the sun sets behind author Eva Biringer and moderator Nadia Shehadeh. On the rooftop terrace of the Atelier Gardens, the second day of this year’s Doxumentale features the reading “Unversehrt. Frauen und Schmerz.” As Eva Biringer begins to read from her book of the same name, the atmosphere shifts — political, historical, but also intimate and deeply personal. Together, the two women speak about female pain and its ongoing invisibility. Because even today, women’s pain is overlooked, downplayed, and dismissed. It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t a personal issue — it’s a structural one.

Together with Nadia Shehadeh, Biringer reflects on the absurdity of beauty ideals for women — crash diets, unrealistic body images, and tuberculosis as a former symbol of beauty and class. On average, women take significantly more painkillers than men. “Women silence themselves because they don’t want to fit the cliché of the weak woman,” says Eva Biringer. “So they numb themselves with painkillers.” When Nadia Shehadeh asks what we can do about it, Biringer answers: “Share. Talking about it makes it visible.” And that’s exactly what happens this evening — not just between the two of them, but with the audience too, who jump in with thoughtful questions during the Q&A.

A few floors down, Amichai Lau Lavie and Sandi DuBowski are hosting a very different kind of gathering with the Doxumentale audience. The two are protagonist and director of the documentary “Sabbath Queen.” The lighting is soft and warm, and more than 40 guests sit at long, beautifully laid tables, surrounded by candles, flowers, and the words of Amichai Lau Lavie. He invites everyone to look into each other’s eyes and truly notice one another’s presence. “May we nourish each other with love and patience,” says Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie as he opens the buffet — featuring wonderful food from Kanaan Berlin.

And while people are celebrating at the Friday Feast of “Sabbath Queen,” just next door, the evening dives into a very different kind of storytelling — because anyone walking through the Atelier Gardens moves not just through space, but through stories full of hope, pain, and resistance. In TON 1, a particularly powerful film is being shown. “Little Syria” tells the story of three Syrian refugees in Berlin — Reem, Mohammed, and Yasser — all struggling with the trauma of displacement. Their past won't let go, and settling into a new life remains fragile. Co-director Reem Karssli follows them in their search for stability — and for answers: What remains of the Syrian revolution? When the Assad regime falls in December 2024, a new chapter begins — full of hope, but also full of uncertainty.

“To be honest, I’m still a little speechless. ‘Little Syria’ really moved me,” says one viewer after the screening. If you missed “Little Syria” at the festival, you can still watch it online until June 30 — along with many other powerful contributions. Cinema that moves you — no matter where you are.