As January comes to an end, we bid farewell to Christoph Terhechte as festival director and say thank you for six inspiring, constructive, and wonderful years! 

Under Christoph's leadership, we have structured our film programme more clearly and further expanded the International Competition Documentary Film. We have strengthened the role of feature-length animated films at the festival, promoted networking within the documentary and animated film industries, and introduced Silver Doves for the best films from up-and-coming directors. Alongside the popular Audience Competition with a jury of festival fans, we created the sections “Panorama: Central and Eastern Europe” and “Camera Lucida”, featuring films that challenge cinematic conventions. 

In the hybrid 2020 festival edition, we launched “DOK Stream”, which shows current films from the programme online throughout Germany during the week of the festival. However, Christoph placed special emphasis on the shared cinema experience and on-site events—even beyond the festival. With the Summer Cinema and the monthly DOK Days, we now regularly bring films to cinemas in Leipzig and other cities in Saxony. 

We wish Christoph all the best for his future path and look forward to welcoming him back as a loyal festivalgoer from October onward!