DOK Leipzig
Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film
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DOK Leipzig – Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film
Film-making has a long tradition in Leipzig. The Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, first held in 1955, is the second-biggest festival of its kind in Europe.
Every October, more than 300 animated films and documentaries from over 50 countries are screened at the event.
DOK Leipzig is Germany’s biggest celebration of art house documentaries and animated film and attracts a strong international following. The event was founded in 1955 by the Film-Makers’ Club of East Germany as the ‘All-German Leipzig Week for Cultural and Documentary Film’ and was the first independent film festival to be held in the German Democratic Republic.
A unique forum for film-makers from East and West during the Cold War, DOK Leipzig went from strength to strength after German reunification. In 2004, it broadened its appeal to the industry by becoming a dynamic festival for documentaries and animated film.
In 1995, a competition was launched for animated films of artistic merit, which for decades had been an integral part of the programme. The festival is now an established dual-genre event.
Traditionally, DOK Leipzig has put the spotlight on films advocating peace and human rights. Where better than in the former East Germany to celebrate freedom of mind, freedom of speech and pointedly shot pictures. Artistic merit, superbly narrated stories, a critical eye, subtle observations, historical trails and an exploration of the ‘memory of pictures’ all contribute to the diversity and character of this captivating event.
