Close-up of hands holding a mobile phone with the Greta app for audio description open

Accessibility at our 69th festival edition

At this year’s DOK Leipzig festival, two feature-length documentaries and one short animated film will be presented with audio description. This has been made possible with the support of Greta und Starks and Kinoblindgänger gemeinnützige GmbH.

Another 26 films will be shown with simple German subtitles. The majority of the screenings will take place at CineStar 2. 

In addition, one feature-length film and one short film will be presented together in a Relaxed Screening at CineStar 2. These screenings are designed to provide a more accessible and inviting cinema experience for people with different sensory needs. The auditorium remains softly lit, audience members can move around freely, and filmgoers can leave and re-enter the auditorium. There is no expectation of silence; audience reactions and other sounds are welcome.

Thanks to support from Diakonie Leipzig, a free companion service for blind and visually impaired people and wheelchair users will once again be available this year. Those wishing to use the service can contact Susann Hanske in advance on +49 (0)341 5612-1290 or send an email to fbti [dot] begleitung [at] diakonie-leipzig [dot] de (fbti[dot]begleitung[at]diakonie-leipzig[dot]de).

Accessibility at DOK Leipzig

DOK Leipzig has been showing films in accessible versions for many years. Until two years ago, these services were funded by the Free State of Saxony. This funding was completely cut for the 2025/26 two-year budget and not replaced. Since 2025, DOK Leipzig has therefore relied on filmmakers or sponsors to provide accessible versions of films. With its finances already under considerable strain, the festival is unable to draw on its own resources to cover the costs of SDH subtitles (for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) and additional audio descriptions.

For comparison, in previous years, project funding from the Free State of Saxony enabled around 35 films per festival edition to be made accessible. It also meant that three to five Q&A sessions could be provided with sign-language interpretation.

Read more in our press release.