DOK Leipzig looks east and toward new documentary forms

A programme of 217 films and XR works cannot fit into one cinema. DOK Leipzig spreads its 69th edition across the city from 26 October to 1 November. The programme and ticket sales went online on 8 October.

A new section, Fokus Ost, turns its attention to Eastern Europe. It includes ten documentaries, eight of them world premieres, curated by Grit Lemke. It is one of two new sections; the other is Positions.

The opening film is Guten Abend, du Schöne by Ina Borrmann, a 95-minute German film from 2026 having its world premiere. It is based on Maxie Wander’s 1977 book of interview protocols, Guten Morgen, du Schöne.

The official opening takes place at Schauspiel Leipzig on 26 October. At the same time, a free public screening of the opening film is scheduled for 20:30 in the Osthalle of Leipzig’s central station. The festival therefore begins not only with a ceremony but also with an open screening in a place travellers pass through.

DOK Leipzig began in 1955 as the Leipziger Kultur- und Dokumentarfilmwoche. It later added a separate animation competition, DOK Industry and the DOK Neuland XR exhibition. The organisers call this the 69th edition.

During festival week, free screenings also take place every evening in the Osthalle and at the Polish Institute. DOK Stream offers one film online each day for 24 hours, in Germany only. The Commons photographs show the opening venue and festival centre, not the films themselves.