The 67th edition of the documentary and animated film festival DOK Leipzig was “exceptionally well received” by audiences and members of the film industry, the festival announced November 5. The festival drew a total of 55,000 filmgoers this year – more than ever before. Last year, the festival welcomed 45,500 filmgoers. The previous record (48,000) was set in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
“DOK Leipzig 2024 drew well over two thousand accredited professionals, who boosted attendance at the festival cinemas and noticeably increased the popularity of the industry events,” explains Festival Director Christoph Terhechte. “But it’s undeniable that sales of individual and season tickets were up as well, enabling lively discussions in sold-out cinemas and memorable feedback for the numerous filmmakers who came here from all over the world. This is a good sign for cinema screenings of documentaries and animated films.”
The films in the Audience Competition, the short film reels and the feature-length animated films were particularly well received, and the high attendance figures for events such as the Animation Night, the Interactive Cinema at DOK Neuland and Animation Perspectives were satisfying, the festival adds. The free screenings at Leipzig Central Station were also well attended. The DOK Neuland XR exhibition drew 2,500 visitors, more than twice as many as in the previous year.
“At DOK Industry, keen interest was observed in the two-day DOK Exchange XR programme on interactive and immersive storytelling, as was an increase of one-on-one meetings at the DOK Co-Pro Market. The further events for networking and expanding knowledge with a focus on animation were also very well received,” the festival adds.
DOK Leipzig 2024 presented 209 films and extended reality works from 55 countries over seven days. The seven Golden Doves and two Silver Doves as well as a number of partnership awards were presented on the Saturday of the festival.
La Jetée, the Fifth Shot by Dominique Cabrera was awarded the Golden Dove in International Competition Documentary. The 3,000-euro Golden Dove Short Film went to celebrated British experimental filmmaker John Smith for Being John Smith (UK).
In the German Competition Documentary Film, the Golden Dove Long Film went to Tarantism Revisited (Germany, Switzerland) by Anja Dreschke while the Golden Dove in the Audience Competition was presented to the documentary film Once upon a Time in a Forest (Havumetsän lapset | Finland) by Virpi Suutari.
The 68th edition of the festival will be held from 27 October to 2 November 2025.
