DOK Industry News
DOK Industry offers networking opportunities with the highest-quality for German and international decision makers and funders in a cosy, laid back atmosphere. This is the meeting place for artistic documentary and a hub for interactive and immersive arts practitioners and experts.
- 250+ commissioners, buyers, distributors, sales agents, funders and festival programmers
- 250+ producers
- More than 1,100 scheduled individual meetings at the Co-Pro Market and Industry Connections
- 50+ industry events including insightful talks, conferences, master classes, DOK Archive Market, DOK Exchange XR Conference
- Daily networking receptions
- Project presentations from all over the world
- DOK Film Market Library for buyers, distributors and festival programmers featuring 200+ current titles
- Podcasts featuring exciting and inspiring professionals
- Access to the entire DOK Leipzig film programme
Filmmakers working in exile or under conditions of risk face complex and interconnected barriers that affect every stage of their work, from development and financing to mobility, production, and ultimately reaching audiences. While many organisations, festivals, and support structures already exist, the current landscape remains fragmented, difficult to navigate, and often inaccessible due to language barriers or strict eligibility policies.
Doc Together – a joint initiative between Agora of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and DOK Industry of DOK Leipzig– was created to respond to this gap. Rather than duplicating existing initiatives, the aim is to connect knowledge, share responsibility, and build more continuous and coordinated forms of support across the film ecosystem.
On October 27, 2025 a first Think Tank was organized in Leipzig gathering filmmakers, producers, festivals, markets, NGOs, lawyers, and other industry professionals to exchange experiences and identify practical next steps. The discussions focused on the current situation of filmmakers facing acute or severe risks worldwide, the resources available, those still needed, and how to address issues of prevention, protection, and advocacy.
The report (available for download below) delineates key takeaways from the six tables dedicated to following topics: Film Funding, Mapping Resources and Information, From Short- to Long-Term Support, Visibility and Distribution, Mobility and Visas and Fair International Co-Productions.
#DocSafe is a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering a safer, more accountable, and inclusive global documentary industry.
In October 2024, DocSafe curated a series of roundtables at DOK Leipzig, building on discussions from the Durban FilmMart earlier that year. These sessions explored five core themes—Cultural Safety, Political Safety, Sexual Harassment, Abuse of Power, and Accountability and Restorative Justice—with Curatorial Justice as a cross-cutting concern.
A report available for download below summarises the key insights and developments from those conversations, offering a foundation for continued dialogue, advocacy, and collaborative action across the documentary field.
Festival Recap 2022
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.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
