For the first time ever, the DOK Industry programme will be in hybrid form. From 25 to 29 October, some 1,800 industry professionals will meet in Leipzig as well as online. Many of the 50 or so industry events are to be held both online and onsite, in order to make it possible to once again mingle in person and at the same time network with industry representatives who are unable to come to Leipzig.
Networking and collaboration are at the heart of DOK Industry. “We aim to provide a platform that allows both on-site and online participants to enter new collaborations, gain further market intelligence and exchange ideas in an open and welcoming environment,” says DOK Industry director Nadja Tennstedt. “In doing so, we aim to strengthen the documentary community and make it easier for emerging talents and equity-seeking professionals to enter the international market.”
In terms of content, the 17th edition of Germany’s leading industry platform for the documentary film sector picks up on the themes of the previous year’s programme and carries them a step further. In autumn 2020, DOK Industry focused on the participation of equity-seeking filmmakers and discussed approaches to breaking down the power structures that permeate the documentary film industry. DOK Industry 2021 will be a time to take stock: Which processes have already been initiated? Which initiatives will strengthen the visibility of underrepresented communities? How can filmmakers of colour, of indigenous origin and from equity-seeking groups be supported and promoted? For the first time, DOK Industry is organising a programme around the use of archive material in documentary film. Some of the events will dive into various aspects such as sourcing, clearing and working with archival footage, while others will promote networking with archival researchers.
At the occasion of the Industry Talk “Generation Africa”, Don Edkins from STEPS in South Africa, Philippe Muller from ARTE and several directors will talk about films from the project of the same name by the non-profit media company STEPS. “Generation Africa” works with emerging African directors and producers to create films with new narratives about migration – from the perspective of young people from Africa, whose voices are too often absent from global discourse. Three films at DOK Leipzig were made as part of “Generation Africa”.
The podcast format, launched in 2020 for the online edition of DOK Industry, will be continued. Seven podcasts will be produced in collaboration with What’s Up with Docs and the Programmers of Color Collective. The podcasts will once again focus on the decolonisation of the film industry. Industry experts will discuss the limited representation of Brown LGBTQ+ stories and engage with the perspective of filmmakers from the Global South on documentaries from the Global North. Further podcasts will discuss the (lack of) access to archives given to filmmakers around the world, as well as obstacles to archival work in areas of conflict. How do wars, conflicts and totalitarian regimes threaten the preservation of archives, history and cultural identities? Hosts include Toni Bell, creator and host of the What’s Up with Docs podcast; Sridhar Rangayan, filmmaker and director of the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival; and Claire Diao, a film critic, distributor (Sudu Connexion) and member of the Directors' Fortnight Selection Committee.
Promoting female filmmakers from equity-seeking groups is also important to the European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA), which is refocussing its award, presented at DOK Leipzig for several years, in this direction. The award honours a project by a female director in the DOK Co-Pro Market which tells a story from a point of view thus far marginalised and underrepresented in the world of film and which treats its protagonists as equals.
Three further awards will be presented at DOK Industry this year. The Saxon Award for the Best Documentary Project by a Female Director and the Current Time TV Award for a project from Central or Eastern Europe also honour projects at the DOK Co-Pro Market. The DFM Work-in-Progress Prize, sponsored by D-Facto Motion, will again be presented at DOK Preview Germany.
DOK Exchange offers an impetus for immersive and interactive storytelling. For the first time, it is organised in cooperation with the community and grant platform Artizen. A live podcast will delve into selected projects that can be experienced at DOK Neuland. The conversation will focus on communal storytelling and appreciative narratives, spirituality and the social aspect of the works presented. The event will be moderated by Brigid O’Shea, co-founder of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) and the former director of DOK Industry. At the DOK Exchange Showcase, six interactive projects in the making will be presented to experts from the fields of research, funding, distribution, art and technology. The showcase will be moderated by René Pinnell, founder and designer of Artizen.
The DOK Previews offer a glimpse into the kaleidoscope of creative documentary film. DOK Preview Germany, in cooperation with German Films and AG DOK, presents a mix of work-in-progress, newly completed films and world premieres from the DOK Leipzig competition. DOK Preview Training presents film projects developed in European film workshops and selected in partnering international markets which are looking for festival premieres, gap financing and distribution partners – this year in cooperation with CoPro Israel, DocMontevideo, Docu Rough Cut Boutique, dok.incubator, Durban FilmMart, ESoDoc, Eurodoc and Ex Oriente. Festival representatives, buyers and commissioning editors, sales agents and distributors are once again able to discover all the films in the competitions along with other hand-picked current documentaries thanks to the DOK Film Market online video library and get in touch with filmmakers and rights holders.
At the “Meet the Experts” talks, industry representatives can broaden their knowledge of certain professions and work practices and expand their networks. This year, the focus is on impact producing, alternative distribution models and archival research.
DOK Short n’ Sweet is all about short films. At the pitch, filmmakers can present their short film projects, including documentaries, animadocs and animated films, to prominent editors, distributors, festival representatives and financiers. This year, the experts on the panel include Christine Kecher (Op-Docs, The New York Times), Maike Mia Höhne (Hamburg Short Film Festival), Sydney Neter (SND Films) and Sarah Schlüssel (Berlinale Talents / Berlinale Shorts).
The DOK Partner Presentations are an opportunity to discover new documentaries from certain regions, countries and training programmes which are in search of international partners and ready for international acquisition. The various presentations with moderated round-table feedback offer room for interaction and discussion. For the first time at DOK Industry, participants in EFM’s Doc Toolbox Programme – an EFM initiative that endows documentary filmmakers from equity-seeking groups with market intelligence, business tools and connections – will present their projects that are nearing completion. In the Chiledoc Partner Presentation backed by ProChile, Chilean filmmakers will present their latest projects. Chiledoc promotes the distribution of Chilean productions and represents the Chilean documentary film industry.
Through various networking formats, DOK Industry also offers virtual and in-person opportunities for individual meetings with industry experts, such as those from film festivals, distribution companies, TV and archival research.
The Industry Guide offers a look at DOK Leipzig’s guest list, on the festival website and will continue to grow leading up to the festival.
DOK Industry is realised with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM) and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media upon a Decision of the German Bundestag.
You can find more information here: DOK Industry
