DOK Leipzig has announced the full DOK Industry programme for the 69th edition of the festival edition running 26 October – 1 November.
This year, the DOK Industry Programme offers “a vibrant mix of formats and activities that engage with key industry topics, foster creative exchange, and provide filmmakers with a space to showcase their work and build lasting connections within the international community,” the festival writes.
“DOK Leipzig upholds its commitment to supporting documentary filmmakers and their vital work amid rising political instability and threats to freedom,” the festival continues.
In line with these efforts, DOK Leipzig will hold the DOK Industry Talk Doc Together: When Freedom of Expression is at Risk as part of its joint initiative with the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. The panel will examine the escalating threats to press and media freedom across Europe and explore how documentary filmmakers, journalists, and institutions can collectively respond. Moderated by Julie Nederkoorn, head of International and Industry at Movies that Matter, a leading human rights film festival in The Hague, the discussion will be joined by Andreas Lamm, managing director of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and Bente Roalsvig, deputy director of the Fritt Ord Foundation, dedicated to advancing freedom of expression, public debate, art and culture.
The DOK Industry Talk Making Space for Queer Cinema – The Curators’ Role seems “ever more timely as queer filmmaking faces mounting political and social pressure across the world.” The panel will highlight the importance of challenging mainstream depictions of queerness and the crucial role film festivals can play in promoting intersectional storytelling within their programmes.
Working toward culturally informed and accurate portrayals of Romani people, the Romani Filmmakers Network (RFN) and the Critical Film & Image Hub will host the DOK Industry Workshop Building a Framework for Respectful Romani Representation. The workshop will trace the history of anti-gypsyism in cinema and introduce a framework for respectful Romani representation, followed by an interactive session that will gather feedback for its ongoing development. The workshop will welcome Lisa Smith, co-founder of RFN and research associate at the Critical Film & Image Hub, Alica Sigmund Heráková, producer and co-founder of RFN, and Dr. Andra-Octavia Drăghiciu, research associate at the Critical Film & Image Hub.
The Generation Africa 2.0 Rough Cut Presentation is yet another spotlight in the programme. Seeking to amplify African voices and actions in the ongoing climate crisis across the African continent, Generation Africa 2.0 brings to Leipzig five works-in-progress from across Senegal, the DR Congo, Kenya, and Benin. Generation Africa 2.0 is an initiative by the South African non-profit media company STEPS, supported by ARTE and Deutsche Welle, that aims to produce films from 21 countries in Africa. Meanwhile, the DOK Industry Talk: Community and Alternative Cinema Spaces and Practices will look at alternative approaches to film exhibition and distribution, exploring cinemas conceived as or transformed into spaces of encounter, social discourse, and community. Among the speakers joining are Eric Hynes, director of film curation and programming at the Jacob Burns Film Center, and Can Sungu, co-founder and artistic director of bi’bak and Sinema Transtopia.
“DOK Leipzig reinforces its focus on animation while forging a stronger link between animation and documentary within its programme,” organisers emphasise. Marking its 4th edition, the Animation Lab DOK Leipzig takes place again in collaboration with CEE Animation. Led by producer Jean-François Le Corre (Vivement Lundi!) and multidisciplinary artist Uri Kranot (Tindrum), the three-day workshop will equip producers developing their first animated documentary with knowledge and skills to navigate the international animation industry, from development and pre-production to distribution.
Hosted by Marky Sparky Media founder Mark Taynton, the roundtable Adult Animation will bring together creators, producers and industry experts to address the current state of adult animation, structural gaps limiting its growth, and the actions needed to increase its visibility and create a practical path forward for the sector in Europe. This roundtable is the second instalment of an ongoing joint initiative between DOK Industry and Animation Production Days (APD). The visibility of European animation is also explored in a dedicated panel, hosted by DOK Leipzig’s partner ASIFA Germany (AG Animationsfilm). From the Niche into the Spotlight – Pathways to Greater Visibility for European Animation will identify approaches to expanding the reach of animated features and shorts, as well as measures festivals, cinemas, distributors, media, and associations can take to elevate their presence.
Finally, this year’s Animated Film Hommage and Masterclass will celebrate Trollfilm, a prize-winning Norwegian studio founded by Anita Killi, known for its cut-out multiplane animation. Find out about the programme in the press release.
The Industry Programme features several events organised by DOK Leipzig’s partners. Among the highlights is the panel organised by AG DOK, Between Target Audience Orientation and Public Service Mandate: ARD’s Decision-Making Structures and the Evolution of Documentary Programming in the Streaming Era, which will examine the broadcasters’ strategic shifts to online media libraries, the consequences of such decisions on documentary programming, and how they align with the public service broadcaster’s statutory mandate. The talk will be held in German, with author René Martens and filmmaker and professor Susanne Binninger (AG DOK) presenting the analysis and discussing it with experts.
The DOK Archive Market marks its fifth edition this year. Among this year’s offerings at the DOK Archive Market is the panel Replatforming – AI and its Ethics for Archives, Producers and Archive Researchers, probing the ethical stakes involved in working with archival footage in the context of AI.
Short n’ Sweet, the festival’s short film pitch, has unveiled a fresh crop of projects, ranging from short documentaries to animated documentaries and animated films. During Short n’ Sweet, Guardian Documentaries and arte.tv will announce the winner of their pitch Democracy at Stake in Europe, aimed at supporting short documentaries exploring the state of democracy today. DOK Preview Germany and DOK Preview International will announce the 2026 line-up of projects on the website shortly.
At Industry Intros, accredited guests will have the opportunity to gain insight into certain aspects of the industry, from the working practices of sales agents to distribution and marketing strategies. The session Equitable Co-Productions will introduce the Value-Based Co-Production manual, co-published by the International Media Support (IMS) and the National Film School of Denmark, rethinking international co-productions and the ways ownership and revenues are shared, especially when partners operate in different production economies. At Industry Connections, accredited professionals will have the chance to meet with representatives of training initiatives in a roundtable format, and in one-on-one sessions with archive researchers and producers, sales agents and distributors, as well as festivals and markets.
Find the full Industry Programme: DOK Industry Programme A-Z
All dates and events: DOK Industry Timetable
