Film professionals attending the 67th edition of DOK Leipzig will enjoy a compelling programme of animation industry activities and events, including several dedicated formats for animation film.

We are once again partnering up with CEE Animation to present the second edition of Animation Lab DOK Leipzig, where participating documentary producers will dive into the production and distribution of animated documentaries in the four-day residential workshop. The workshop, which kicks off on Monday and concludes on the festival Friday, will be led by the experts in the field, Jean-François Le Corre and Uri Kranot.

On Thursday morning, Jean-François Le Corre, one of the main tutors of Animation Lab DOK Leipzig and seasoned producer (Vivement-Lundi!, “Flee”), will present a wondrous work-in-progress of “Suzanne”, an internationally co-produced animated documentary feature by Joëlle Oosterlinck and Anaïs Caura, which deftly uses 2D animation and colorised archives to trace the life of the trailblazing Suzanne Noël. The festival's dialogue series “Animation Perspectives” will also take place on Thursday, welcoming the fantastic young artists Gudrun Krebitz und Moïa Jobin-Paré from Berlin and Montreal, respectively. On the festival Friday, the great Isabel Herguera (“Sultana's Dream”), to whom we are dedicating one of our two homages, will hold an exciting Masterclass on the interplay of individual and dialogue-based creativity. “Animation Perspectives” and the Masterclass are both open to the public.

On the festival Friday, our animation and documentary film guests will also have the chance to reconnect with colleagues and meet new faces at the networking event Animation Meets Doc, and let themselves be taken back to the exhilarating beginnings of animation art at the Animation Night. 

More on animation at DOK Leipzig in our press release.

The first episode of our fifth season of DOK Industry Podcast is out! Seven new episodes will be released in the run-up to the festival in autumn, all created and produced in collaboration with the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2) and What's Up With Docs Podcast. 

As in our previous seasons, we will continue exploring burning issues in the documentary film industry with a special focus on power structures and lack of representation as well as offering pathways into criticism, alternative perspectives and works from filmmakers, curators, artists and writers from marginalised groups. The podcast strives to act as a platform where listeners explore the nuances of a complex reality, engage, empathise and seek courage through truthful conversations between sparring partners. Read more in the press release

The Curators

of this year’s DOK Industry Podcast are Lucy Mukerjee, Themba Bhebhe, Toni Bell, Weronika Lewandowska, Shakira Refos, Meena Nanji, Sunil Sadarangani,  Judy Kibinge, Mungai Kiroga, Emily Rogers, Erika Dilday and P. Mudamba Mudamba.

In the First Episode

Shakira Refos talks to Lanaa Dantzler, scriptwriter, filmmaker and alumna of the  Black Girls Film Camp, about her experience in the training programme, the impact on her professional and personal journey and how she envisions her future as an emerging filmmaker in the film industry. The camp provides a mentorship programme where young Black women seek support in a dedicated, safe space for producing a (first) short film. The conversation continues with filmmaker Contessa Gayles stretching out more insights about the importance of pipeline programmes such as fellowships, art residencies and labs and how to find empowerment and success outside academia. 

Further Episodes

of season 5 will focus on the filmmaking industry in India, present DOCUBOX, a Kenyan initiative that has been a dynamic hub supporting filmmakers from the region for more than ten years, and examine initiatives from Cameroon and the United States for creating discursive spaces for films outside the commercial structures.

DOK Industry Podcast is supported by Docs in Orbit, a podcast hosted by a community of international filmmakers, and film.macht.kritisch. – The Podcast about the *Other* Cinema from programmer Canan Turan.

Tune in to episode 1 – “The Power of the Pipeline”

We are excited to launch the Call for Projects for short form documentary and animated film projects to pitch live at the 8th edition of DOK Short n’ Sweet.

What we are looking for:

• short film projects in all stages from development to complete
• all forms of short documentary, animated documentary and animated film as well as series
• shorts with a strong point of view and creative vision
• lengths of maximum 30’

Projects pitched at Short n’ Sweet have been nominated for prestigious awards such as the European Film Award and premiered at A-List festivals including Festival de Cannes, Berlin International Film Festival, Locarno and DOK Leipzig.

The deadline for applications is 15 August 2024.

See more or apply now 

German Films and DOK Industry are looking for the most exciting new German documentary projects. Apply until 5 September!

DOK Preview Germany is a presentation platform for German productions, newly completed or in their final stages, with an estimated release date in winter/spring 24/25. The teams present their projects to international buyers, editors, world sales, festivals, curators and distributors.

With the project presentation and subsequent opportunity for networking and exchange, we support selected projects for international marketing. 

What are we looking for?

• Feature-length documentaries (at least 79 minutes) with international potential, especially for theatrical release and festival exploitation
• Works-in-Progress, or newly completed films, planned release winter/spring 24/25
• Productions with majority German participation (BAFA proof required for international co-productions)

When and where?

DOK Preview Germany will take place on 28 October 2024 as part of DOK Leipzig and DOK Industry. Guests and project representatives can meet, talk and network at the exclusive gathering afterwards.

Find out more and begin your application 

DOK Preview Germany is a joint production of German Films and DOK Leipzig, with support from AG DOK.