Press Releases 2025
The final summary of the 40th DOK.fest München
The anniversary edition of DOK.fest München came to an end on Sunday: after the final day of screenings in cinemas on 18 May, the films were made available to watch online for another week. In addition to the 36,000 viewers and guests who attended screenings at cinemas and special venues, a further 19,500 people watched the films online via DOK.fest @home and in the classrooms of DOK.education. In total, DOK.fest München reached around 55,500 people with its film programme and events.
The summary of DOK.education 2025
This year, the DOK.education team reached 2,241 participants at the cinema. Almost 70 school classes took part in 90-minute workshops at the HFF Munich, the Gasteig HP8, and the Pasinger Fabrik. These workshops are available online to teachers throughout Germany until the end of the school year, and over 7,000 students have already registered. The workshops include three age-appropriate short films, accompanied by school materials and digital learning videos.
The preliminary summary of the 40th DOK.fest München
Yesterday, the 40th DOK.fest München ended in cinemas. Almost all of the films are still available to watch online until Sunday 25 May. Overall, the cinemas and special venues welcomed more visitors than last year, with around 36,000 people attending the numerous film screenings, industry platform events at DOK.forum, and educational programme activities at DOK.education.
The most-watched films were FRIENDLY FIRE, AZZA, SOLDATEN DES LICHTS and SIMON! THE JOY OF CONDUCTING. This year‘s VR Pop Up Cinema in the Futuro-Haus was also a great success. A total of 1,150 guests experienced the VR exhibitions.
The award winners of the 40th DOK.fest München
VIKTORIA DOK.international Main Competition:
SILENT OBSERVERS / Eliza Petkova
VIKTORIA DOK.deutsch Competition:
WIR ERBEN / Simon Baumann
VIKTORIA DOK.horizonte Competition – Cinema of Urgency:
RASHID, L’ENFANT DE SINJAR / Jasna Krajinovic
megaherz Student Award:
WOMAN/MOTHER / Klara Harden
WRITING HAWA wins the kinokino Audience Award
WRITING HAWA by Najiba and Rasul Noori has won the kinokino Audience Award at DOK.fest München, sponsored by Bayerischer Rundfunk and 3sat. The 2,000-euro award will be awarded tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm at the DOK.fest's awards ceremony in the Amerikahaus. The VIKTORIAs, the awards of the three main competitions, will also be awarded here. WRITING HAWA will be screened afterwards.
The winning projects of DOK.forum 2025
DOK.forum 2025 was a great success: The pitches, panels, workshops, case studies, roundtables and receptions attracted a total of over 2,200 participants. The DOK.forum Marketplace offered documentary film projects in development and documentary storytelling formats four endowed pitch competitions with prize money totalling 10,000 euros as well as further mentoring and festival awards, which were given at the HFF Munich last weekend.
The 40th DOK.fest München celebrates its opening with 1,350 guests
The 40th DOK.fest München celebrated its opening yesterday in front of 1,350 guests at Deutsches Theater. The audience watched the world premiere of FRIENDLY FIRE in the presence of directors Klaus Fried and Julia Albrecht, producer Gunter Hanfgarn and co-producer Ralph Wieser, the film crew and some of the protagonists. In the film, Klaus Fried traces the life of his famous father, the poet Erich Fried, who fled from Vienna to London in 1938 to escape the Nazis.
Quantum leap for the festival: FFA reference funding for DOK.fest München competition films
At the press conference, Daniel Sponsel and Adele Kohout presented the programme of the 40th DOK.fest München. They were able to talk about an achievement that means a big step forward for the festival: Starting this year, producers whose works are shown in the DOK.international Main Competition and who can prove that their country of production is Germany will receive a reference grant of 50,000 reference points from the German Federal Film Board (FFA).
The Programme of DOK.forum 2025
DOK.forum, the industry platform of DOK.fest München, will take place from 7 to 11 May. It consists of two pillars: DOK.forum Perspectives, a special programme for filmmakers on media-policy, technological, and narrative trends, and the DOK.forum Marketplace, a co-production and distribution market where filmmakers can present their documentary projects in development to an expert audience.
A SUDDEN GLIMPSE TO DEEPER THINGS wins the DOK.edit Award – presented by Adobe
The DOK.edit Award – presented by Adobe, which honours the work of documentary film editors, will be presented for the fifth time at DOK.fest München. This year, the award goes to editor Timo Langer for the film A SUDDEN GLIMPSE TO DEEPER THINGS by director Mark Cousins. The award is worth 5,000 euros and is sponsored by Adobe.
RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR wins the DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit
The DOK.fest Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit will be awarded for the twelfth time at DOK.fest München. This year's winner is RASHID, L'ENFANT DE SINJAR by Slovenian director Jasna Krajinovic, a moving documentary about resilience and the meaning of home.
The Programme of the 40th DOK.fest München
The programme of the 40th DOK.fest München has been published and is now available on the festival website. A total of 105 films from 58 countries will be screened at this year's edition. Of these, 75 films are being shown in Germany for the first time: 19 films are world premieres, 56 others are German premieres. The programme team had to choose from more than 1,400 films submitted this year - more than ever before.
The Sections „African Encounters“ and „Filmmaking in Exile“
Since 2013, DOK.fest Munich has been focusing on the African continent. This year, the format "African Encounters", which is unique in Germany, focuses on climate change. With three films from Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unresolved questions of climate justice between the global South and North, between Africa and Europe will be put on the agenda. Under the motto LET'S TALK CLIMATE, the cinematic perspective will be broadened through personal encounters: filmmakers, experts and the audience will enter into dialogue in talks and a panel discussion.
DOK.fest - for the first time also in Augsburg: Ten films from the anniversary festival
In its anniversary year, DOK.fest Munich will take place in cinemas outside the city for the first time. From 8 to 12 May, the festival will take place in two arthouse cinemas in Augsburg: Liliom and Thalia. A total of ten festival films will be screened in Augsburg. DOK.fest Augsburg was created in cooperation with the Department of Culture, World Heritage and Sport of the City of Augsburg.
VFF Documentary Production Award for DAS FAST NORMALE LEBEN
For the eighth time the VFF Documentary Production Award will be presented at DOK.fest München. The prize, endowed with 7,500 euros, is donated by the VFF (German Association of Film and Television Producers) and honours the special role of producers in documentary film. This year, producers Ulla Lehmann and Andrea Roggon will be honoured for the film DAS FAST NORMALE LEBEN by director Stefan Sick.
A New Award at DOK.fest München: The All Inclusive Award
DOK.fest München is honouring documentary film productions in which filmmakers with disabilities play a leading role with a new award. The all inclusive award is endowed with 5,000 euros and is donated by the Werksviertel-Mitte Stiftung München. It honours the inclusive team effort in the realisation of the film. The first all inclusive award goes to PATRICE: THE MOVIE by US director Ted Passon. The film celebrates its German premiere at DOK.fest Munich.
The 40th DOK.fest München opens with FRIENDLY FIRE
DOK.fest München opens on 7 May at Deutsches Theater with FRIENDLY FIRE, a film by English director Klaus Fried, brilliantly put together by filmmaker Julia Albrecht. In the film, Klaus Fried traces the life of his famous father, the poet Erich Fried. When he dies, his son is just 19 years old. Klaus sets out on a journey and, in dialogue with family members, friends and companions, feels his way towards his famous father. The film compiles a fascinating picture of the poet from the memories of these people, and it becomes clear how similar father and son are.
New Programme Structure, New Venues and Further Changes
For its 40th anniversary, DOK.fest München has developed a new curatorial concept: The previous programme scheme will be dissolved. The 105 festival films will be divided into 16 topically focused sections. The three main awards will be awarded as before; from this year they will be called VIKTORIA. Ten to twelve pre-nominated, outstanding films will compete for them – irrespective of the sections. The new structure makes it much easier for audiences to decide which films to choose.
Adele Kohout becomes new director of DOK.fest München
In October, Adele Kohout will take over the direction and management of DOK.fest München. The former Deputy Director follows Daniel Sponsel, who is leaving the festival after the upcoming edition (7 to 25 May 2025) to become president of the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). From October, Maya Reichert, who currently heads DOK.eduation, the educational platform of DOK.fest München, will be the new Deputy Managing Director and Deputy Director of DOK.fest München. The board of the association Internationales Dokumentarfilmfestival München e.V. has unanimously decided on this new management.
Mirjam Skal wins German Documentary Film Music Award
Swiss composer Mirjam Skal has been announced as the winner of the German Documentary Film Music Award 2025 for her music for the film VRACHT directed by Max Carlo Kohal. The award is donated by the Versicherungskammer Kulturstiftung and is endowed with 5,000 euros. The festival honours the artistic significance of music in documentary films with this award, which is unique in Germany.
DOK.fest München turns 40: The anniversary edition starting 7 May 2025
40 years of DOK.fest München: That amounts to around 3,000 socially relevant and artistically valuable documentaries and a total of 750,000 visitors. The anniversary edition will be officially opened on 7 May at Deutsches Theater. Until 18 May 105 films will be shown in cinemas and at special venues in Munich. Almost all DOK.fest München films can also be seen @home on the digital screen from 12 to 25 May.
DOK.education 2025: Mit Dokumentarfilm auf Entdeckungsreise in die Gesellschaft und Medienwelt
DOK.education, das ganzjährige Bildungsprogramm des DOK.fest München, setzt auf die Kraft des Dokumentarfilms, um Medienkompetenz wie auch gesellschaftliche Werte zu vermitteln. In Zeiten von zunehmender Medienvielfalt und -manipulation ist es von entscheidender Bedeutung, neben den Inhalten auch die Sprache des Films verstehen und hinterfragen zu können.
