DOK.fest München 2021 @home Line-up announced

You can now find the complete programme of DOK.forum, the industry platform of DOK.fest München online. Once again this year, the numerous workshops, pitches and discussion rounds will take place digitally. We look forward to a lively exchange with the (inter)national industry and invite filmmakers to take advantage of our free event offer. The digital space offers us the opportunity to transcend geographical and economic boundaries and to offer an extensive programme in which diverse voices will be heard.

With 26 public events, the DOK.forum Perspectives offer the most extensive edition to date and set four programme focal points. New Media presents projects dedicated to innovative forms of documentary storytelling. The new programme series Re:arranging Reality revolves around post-production in documentary film. Media Policy opens up a platform that provides space for the discussion of media policy issues. In the Workshops & Consultancies section, renowned international experts from the industry will be available for individual consultations and workshops will explore festival strategies, ways to international co-productions and impact producing.

At DOK.forum Marketplace we present 50 projects in various stages of development – from the first idea to the rough cut. For the first time, the Master's Pitch will also take place online: Nine selected teams will present their documentary film in the making to an audience and receive valuable feedback. In other formats such as roundtables and screenings, as well as in four competitions with prize money, the project teams meet around 100 experts from production, editing, promotion and distribution.

The Who ist Who, an overview of all industry guests, is also online as of today.

Participation in the public events of DOK.forum @home is free of charge for all filmmakers. Registration for the events is necessary. Accompanying the programme, the DOK.bar will be open from 06 to 14 May to facilitate exchange and networking for filmmakers among themselves (weekdays 9.30-10.00 and 18.00-18.30, Spatial Chat).

The new AR-integrated Doktopus app navigates you through the DOK.forum @home programme. It is compatible for iOS and Android and available for free download from the App Store and Google Play.

For more information on the entire programme and free accreditation, please visit www.dokfest-muenchen.de/DOK_forum.

Statements on DOK.fest München 2021 @home

Festival director Daniel Sponsel: "We are aware of our multiple responsibilities: On the one hand, we definitely want to return to the cinemas. The team has prepared a dual edition with great commitment and effort. On the other hand, the situation has deteriorated again and we have a social obligation. We are in lockdown until mid-April, there are travel restrictions and the further forecasts do not make us optimistic. Even if it should be possible to hold cultural events at the beginning of May, it is no longer possible to organise a festival that meets the high expectations, given the necessary lead time, the logistical challenges and the costs. We are therefore presenting our programme online on the digital screen: great films, numerous interesting film talks and a supporting programme worth seeing."

Judith Gerlach, Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs: "Last year, DOK.fest München took on a pioneering role: The festival proved that great content also attracts interest online and was thus able to tap into large new audience groups. As difficult as the current situation is: DOK.fest München is in the best position to present its programme on the digital screen. That is why we are happy to support the online version this year with over 350,000 euros. We are happy to have such a modern, forward-looking and large film festival in Bavaria. It will be even nicer when we can hopefully watch exciting films together in the cinema again at the next edition."

Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of the City of Munich: "The team around Daniel Sponsel has been planning on two tracks for months and has tried everything to bring its programme to the cinemas in Munich at the beginning of May. Unfortunately, presence events are not feasible at the moment. We also support the new plans with the funds provided, especially since the experience of the last edition was positive all around. And so, together with all documentary film fans from Munich and all over Germany, I am looking forward to the festival in May. In this difficult lockdown period, it is even more valuable that DOK.fest München offers windows into fascinating, foreign worlds."

Dorothee Erpenstein, Managing Director of FilmFernsehFonds Bayern: "As much as we would like to finally see all the great documentaries in the cinema again, to participate in professional events and to discuss them together – this year, too, we are only left with encounters in virtual space. I am glad that DOK.fest makes this possible and that we can enjoy a unique programme despite the current situation. I wish Daniel Sponsel and his team a successful festival, many spectators and unforgettable film moments."