Call for Entries for the DOK.forum Marketplace 2026

Submissions for the DOK.forum Marketplace 2026 are now open!

Who can submit to the DOK.forum Marketplace?

Experienced and emerging documentary filmmakers, digital creators, producers and film composers are cordially invited to submit their projects to the DOK.forum Marketplace (7 to 11 May 2026).

Students from our partner universities can apply for the DOK.talent Award.

What kind of projects can be submitted?

The DOK.forum Marketplace is looking for strong documentary film projects in all stages of development.

With a focus on outstanding creative feature-length documentaries, we also have room for television format, series, web or innovative media formats. The thematic orientation is open, with an emphasis on the relevance of the story – both for possible co-productions in the German-speaking world as well as internationally – as well as on originality and artistic quality.

Marketplace pitch events and awarded competions

By applying to the Marketplace, projects can be eligible for various pitch formats. In addition to the public DOK.forum Pitch, the Roundtables and One-to-One Meetings, the Marketplace offers four donated pitch events:

DOK.archive Award, sponsored by British Pathé, endowed with 2,500 euros or archive material worth 22,500 euros: projects in development or early production, with a relevant proportion of archive material.
DOK.composition Award, sponsored by Sonoton Music and Deutscher Komponist:innen Verband, endowed with 2,500 euros: projects in all stages of development by a production company from the German-speaking countries (DACH) with a solid compositional concept.
DOK.digital Award, sponsored by the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM), endowed with 2,500 euros: completed or published new media projects, including projects in the final prototype phase from the German-speaking countries (DACH).
DOK.talent Award, sponsored by SÜDKINO Filmproduktion, endowed with 2,500 euros: projects in pre-production by students from our partner film universities.

In addition to Roundtables and One-to-One meetings, the Marketplace offers five pitch events including four award-winning competitions.

Steps to project submission and documents

The project submission is done via our website. (except for the DOK.talent Award: by email, to the project submissions for the DOK.talent Award)

If you are submitting a project for the first time and do not yet have a user account with us, please register here by creating an account.
If you already have an account, you can log in at our website at any time and submit a new project. In case you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one via our system.
To submit via the online form, select the module "DOK.forum Marketplace" under "Your account" after logging in. You can then use the button "Neues Projekt" (new project) (top right) to create a new Marketplace project and start your submission. In the submission form you have the possibility to tick the respective competition.

Please have the following documents ready for submission:

Logline (50 to 400 characters)
Synopsis (50 to 1,500 characters)
Visual concept (50 to 800 characters)
Statement by the filmmaker (50 to 600 characters)
Goal or mission at the DOK.forum Marketplace (50 to 300 characters)
Link to the trailer
Link to film stills
Link to self-portrait video
Bios of director and producer (50 to 400 characters each)
Link to work samples
For submssions to the DOK.archive Award: Concept for handling archive material (max. 800 characters)
For submissions to the DOK.composition Award: Compositional concept (max. 800 characters)
For submissions to the DOK.digital Award: Information on the use of new technologies (max. 300 characters)

The prerequisite for a Marketplace submission is a meaningful application.

Projects can be submitted in German or English. If accepted, we kindly ask submissions written in German to be translated into English for our catalogue.

Submission deadlines

Marketplace (all pitch formats and competitions except DOK.digital Award and DOK.talent Award): 16 January 2026
DOK.digital Award: 31 January 2026
DOK.talent Award: 02 March 2026

To the overview over all competions and formats

Project selection

Each year, the Marketplace selection committee selects the most promising projects (approx. 40 projects) from all submissions. In order to ensure the best possible match for both participants and Marketplace experts, the projects are carefully read and assigned to each DOK.forum Marketplace pitch format. Submitters will receive information about the status of their submission by the end of March 2026.

Submission fee
To maintain the high quality of our selection process and ensure long-term, inclusive access to our programmes, we charge a small submission fee. This enables us to conduct thorough reviews of the increasing number of projects, offset inflation-related cost increases, guarantee fair participation fees, and sustain our support services for filmmakers worldwide.
The submission fee is 10.00 euros per project. Certain main production countries are exempt from the submission fee. Submissions for the DOK.digital Award and the DOK.talent Award are free of charge.

Accreditation

If your project is selected, the accreditation fee for the DOK.forum Marketplace is 230,00 euros per project (including accreditations for DOK.fest München). Exception: The accreditation fee for participants of the DOK.digital and DOK.talent Pitch is free of charge.
Please contact us for waiver and exemption requests: marktplatz@dokfest-muenchen.de

A maximum of two people per project can participate in the Marketplace (except for the DOK.composition Pitch: three people).

The accreditation for the DOK.forum Marketplace includes:

Individual matchmaking
Presence in the catalog
Participation in One-to-One Meetings
Access to DOK.forum events (Marketplace and Perspectives)
Preparation sessions for pitches
Catering during DOK.forum Marketplace events
On-site or online technical assistance
Networking
Accreditation for the festival, including access to all events and receptions of DOK.fest München (including the opening event)