Clothes maketh man. Yet it is people who truly breathe life into what they wear. Every garb, every uniform, and every accessory tells its own story of belonging and distinction. The 18 films in the DOK Blocks break through the surface, placing the individuals beneath that exterior at the very heart of the narrative.

A battle jacket is much like a religious vestment. When director Sylvie Hohlbaum discovers such a magnificently decorated piece at a flea market, it pays homage not to a divine power, but to very earthly saints: the football club SV Darmstadt 98. Maintained, embroidered, and added to over many years, this unique denim waistcoat reveals far more about its creator than about the club itself. Thus begins a quest for clues that gradually paints the portrait of an unknown person. (KUTTE)

Allowing one’s own clothes to speak for themselves is one thing. However, beyond such creative possibilities, there are sartorial constraints imposed upon us almost invisibly; they categorise and often restrict us. Sportswear, for example, is continually developed to contribute to even faster, further, and better performances. Yet, it is still mostly tailored and perfected according to the ideal of the male body. Consequently, for female athletes, the focus is often not on sporting achievement, but on the sexualisation of their bodies. (OFFSIDE – AN UNEQUAL GAME)

THE UNIFORMED, on the other hand, inhabit an order all of their own: a deliberate evening-out of identity. “My position is front left,” explains a soldier in a voiceover. For him, it is a purely practical instruction, as this position sets the rhythm during a march. For the audience, it is a necessary point of reference: in the uniformed mass, visual difference fades. We require coordinates just to be able to locate the individual at all. Gradually, the eye adjusts to the camouflage, and individuals begin to emerge from the pattern.