German Documentary Film Music Award 2027

Call for Entries – submit now until 22 January 2027!

DOK.fest München is pleased to announce the 15th German Documentary Film Music Award, which will be presented at the 42nd DOK.fest München, taking place in May 2027.

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 connects with the documentary film narrative in a special way. The award sees itself as a platform for the work of composers and 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.

Composers and filmmakers are cordially invited to submit their original compositions for a current feature-length documentary film from the German-speaking countries! 

Regulations

1. Conditions of participation

Films that meet the following criteria are eligible for submission to the German Documentary Film Music Award:

• The composition is part of a documentary film and was composed for it.
• The composer is a GEMA member or a member of AKM or SUISA.
• The date of completion of the film is after 1 January 2026.
• The running time of the film (not the score) is at least 52 minutes.
• The running time of the composed score is at least 15 minutes.
• At least 75% of the score must be composed by the applicant composer.
• Films that are available on freely accessible internet platforms and/or have already been broadcast on German television before the award ceremony as well as films that have already been shown publicly at DOK.fest München or have been submitted to the festival before are excluded from submission.
• Films that have already been released in cinemas in Germany are also excluded. 
• Please confirm officially that the submitted film can be screened publicly on the evening of the award ceremony and additionally as part of our BEST DOKS.

4. 2. Granting of rights, legal guarantees and exemptions

(1) By submitting the film, you guarantee that you are the sole owner of all rights to the work. This includes, in particular, the moral rights, copyrights, and neighboring rights of all persons appearing in the film and all those involved in the production of the film, as well as the rights of other third parties and the right to grant us the rights specified as follows: DOK.fest München is granted the screening rights to the film as well as the right to potentially make it publicly available (online streaming, individual tickets geo-restricted to Germany, limited time period, 48-hour window) for the duration of the festival. Furthermore, you agree that DOK.fest München may, at its sole discretion, publish warnings regarding the film, such as, in particular, following the festival trailer shown before your film. The right to distribute press materials is granted to DOK.fest München without restriction as to location, time, or content. 

(2) Upon notification of the film’s selection, you grant these rights to DOK.fest München without the need for any further declaration. You indemnify DOK.fest München against any and all third-party claims in connection with the rights specified in Section 4 (1), including the reasonable costs of the necessary legal defense, such as, in particular, attorneys’ fees and court costs.

5. 3. Publicity / Promotion

If your film is selected we require press and photo material to be provided promptly. By accepting the regulations, you assure that you will make the material (online download link, photos, texts, trailers) available to the festival for press relations and promotional purposes in our print materials, on our website as well as on our social media channels in the context of DOK.fest München. Likewise, you agree that DOK.fest München may use film clips of up to three minutes as part of the festival coverage on the website. With your consent, you also grant DOK.fest München the right to pass on photos as well as trailers to selected partners for promotional purposes.

By presenting our respective festival edition on the website, you agree to the indefinite storage and use of the photographic material and trailer in our archive on the website.

6. 4. Screening format

The following exhibition formats are required:

• DCI compliant Digital Cinema Package DCP
• ProRes File 4.2.2 HQ (sound format 5.1) or a H.264 file

5. Steps for submitting a film

• If you are submitting a film to us for the first time, please set up an account under "My account".
• If you already have an account, you can log in at any time.
• Please select "German Documentary Film Music Award" under "Registration for" in the film submission form.
• We provide information on the exact steps for submitting a film here under item 8.

Please also send the following documents by email to Johanna von Websky (websky@dokfest-muenchen.de):

• Cover letter, informal (with telephone number and address of the submitter)
• Cue sheet for the registered composition (incl. time code)
• Screening link of the film (rough cut sufficient)
• Bio- and filmography of the composer
• Filmstill(s) 

Submission Deadline: 22 January 2027

Please make sure that you send in all documents, as incomplete submissions cannot be considered. All documents and information will be treated in strict confidence.

8. 10. 6. Screening fees

DOK.fest München pays screening fees, both for the presentation in the cinemas and additionally on the digital screen. The screening fee is agreed with the rights holders – taking into account the best possible presentation of the festival films, we focus on invitations to the filmmakers and the corresponding (proportional) reimbursement of travel and hotel costs. There are no claims to the assumption of costs or to any other form of remuneration. 

There is also the opportunity to win prizes in the cross-sectional competitions (DOK.international, DOK.deutsch, DOK.horizonte, DOK.spotlights megaherz Award, German Documentary Film Music Award, all inclusive Award, VFF Documentary Production Award, VFF Documentary Production Talent Award and kinokino Audience Award). 

11. 10. 7. Validity of the entry conditions

By completing the submission using the online form, you accept the validity of the conditions of participation. These conditions apply to all film submissions for the current festival edition, even if they have not been expressly agreed upon again. DOK.fest München does not recognize deviating terms and conditions even if they are known, unless DOK.fest München has expressly agreed to their validity in writing.

1. 10. 8. Place of jurisdiction and the application of German law

Munich is understood as the place of jurisdiction as far as it is permissible. The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies to the exclusion of conflicting laws.

The submission is independent of the participation at the DOK.fest München.

Submission deadline is 22 January 2027

• All regulations at a glance
• To the general submission regulations of DOK.fest München

Contact

If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact:

Johanna von Websky
websky@dokfest-muenchen.de
Phone: +49 89 520 30 820

DOK.fest München
Dachauer Straße 116
80636 Munich
Germany

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), Yulia Lokshina (Composer)

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