DOK.fest München turns 40: The anniversary edition from 7 May 2025

40 years of DOK.fest München: That means around 3,000 socially relevant and artistically valuable documentary films and a total of 750,000 visitors. The anniversary edition will be officially opened at the Deutsches Theater on 7 May. Until 18 May, 105 films will be screened in Munich cinemas and special venues. Almost all DOK.fest München films can also be seen @home on the digital screen from 12 to 25 May.

Daniel Sponsel and Adele Kohout (festival management): ‘40 years of DOK.fest München - is there anything to celebrate? Since the beginning, our programme has been dedicated to all essential topics and stories, including the less beautiful sides of our world. And especially in light of current political and social developments, it is even more important than ever to take unexpected and new perspectives on the world. Documentary film can do just that: look and create empathy. Over the years, our festival has been able to attract an ever-growing audience and - thanks to the great commitment of many dedicated people - has developed into an internationally significant festival. And that is a reason to celebrate.’

On the occasion of the anniversary, there will be a retrospective with four DOK.fest München highlights from four decades: STEP ACROSS THE BORDER (CH, DE 1990) by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel brings together artists such as Fred Frith, John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, Jonas Mekas and Robert Frank in a celluloid improvisation about rhythm, imagery and joie de vivre. Agnès Varda's LES GLANEURS ET LA GLANEUSE (FR 2000) is a poetic reflection on leftover collectors and a precious reality beyond consumption. In her Oscar-winning film CITIZENFOUR (DE, US 2014), Laura Poitras accompanies whistleblower Edward Snowden during the scandal surrounding the wiretapping affair - and portrays a young man with uncompromising moral courage. Réka Szabó's THE EUPHORIA OF BEING (HU 2019) is about Éva Fahidi, who was deported to Auschwitz with her family at the age of 18 and was the only survivor. Moved by this biography, choreographer Réka Szabó rehearses a performance with Éva Fahidi and a dancer.

An exhibition at Gasteig HP8 looks back on the history of DOK.fest München. The festival has helped shape the cityscape for 40 years and vice versa: venues, infrastructure, people and fashions are reflected in impressions by festival photographers and in the design of the festival posters by renowned designer Prof Gerwin Schmidt. The exhibition ‘40 Years of DOK.fest München: Eyes Wide Open' begins one week before the festival on 29 April, lasts until 25 May and is being held in cooperation with the Münchner Stadtbibliothek and the Münchner Volkshochschule.

An anniversary celebration on 10 May at the Ampere will present musicians who have shaped the sound of DOK.fest München in recent years: ANGELA AUX, JOASIHNO and VAN DAMME 38 will perform at a concert. This will be followed by a party to the music of a DJ Achim Bogdahn from BR Zündfunk, which is a co-operation partner of the event.

In this festival edition, for the first time, filmmakers with productions from Germany whose works are nominated in the DOK.international Main Competition will receive reference funding from the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA) in the amount of 50,000 reference points. ‘We are very pleased that the FFA has included DOK.fest München in the series of festivals at which the selection for the competition is honoured in this way. This is a logical step and a reflection of the importance of our festival,’ says Daniel Sponsel.

In October, Daniel Sponsel will become President of the University of Television and Film Munich. The upcoming edition of DOK.fest München will be the 16th and last under his management. There will be some innovations in the festival concept for this edition, which we will inform you about in the coming weeks.