German Documentary Film Music Award 2026

The winner and the nominees for the 14th German Documentary Film Music Award.

MATERIA PRIMA wins German Documentary Film Music Award 2026 

This year’s German Documentary Film Music Award 2026 goes to Atena Eshtiaghi for her musical work in the film MATERIA PRIMA (by Jens Schanze). The jury’s statement reads:

"With her music for MATERIA PRIMA, Atena Eshtiaghi succeeds right from the start in giving additional depth to the film’s images and establishing a distinct narrative layer. The music operates as its own dramatic force that sensitively accompanies the film while at the same time enhancing it with dramaturgical precision. Over and again, it emerges organically from the sound design and blends seamlessly with the visual language.

The composition never seems arbitrary or ornamental but clearly thought out and coherent in its structure. It doesn’t thrust itself into the foreground but nonetheless has a great impact. With sensitivity, it conveys emotional nuances – sometimes in a delicate and restrained way, sometimes incisively and insistently. It is precisely this balance of subtlety and expressiveness that noticeably raises the film’s overall effect to a higher level.

This year’s 2026 German Documentary Film Music Award goes to Atena Eshtiaghi for her music for the film MATERIA PRIMA."

Jury: Victor Gangl (Composer), Dominik Giesriegl (Componist & Lecturer), Anke Petersen (Producer), Mirjam Skal (Composer)

An award for outstanding documentary film compositions

Unique in the German-speaking region, the German Documentary Film Music Award recognises a composition for a feature-length cinema documentary that represents the documentary film narrative in a special way. The award sees itself as a platform for the work of composers and for the value of music as a narrative level in documentary films.

The award is endowed with a prize money of 5.000 euros. The award goes to the composer of the film. The award ceremony will take place within the festival programme of DOK.fest München.

Shortlist 2026

FIRST LAP CRASH
CH, 2026, Liam Erlach, 73 Min.
Music: Tobias Preisig

FLUSS
DE, 2025, Timo Grosspietsch, 83 Min.
Music: Vladyslav Sendecki

MATERIA PRIMA
DE, 2026, Jens Schanze, 90 Min.
Music: Atena Eshtiaghi

NICHTS BLEIBT UND NICHTS VERSCHWINDET
DE, 2026, Paul Sonntag, 75 Min.
Music: Fabian Kalker

SCHWARZE HÄUSER
DE, 2026, Katrin Sikora, 90 Min.
Music: Marcus Sander

SIRI HUSTVEDT - DANCE AROUND THE SELF
DE, CH, 2026, Sabine Lidl, 110 Min.
Music: Balz Bachman

WHEN PIGS FLY
DE, 2026, Denise Riedmayr, 80 Min.
Music: Marja Burchard

ZIRKUSKIND
DE, 2025, Julia Lemke and Anna Koch, 86 Min.
Music: Nils Kacirek and Jörg Hochapfel

Award donor and patron