Festival highlights of the 40th DOK.fest München

  Adele Kohout becomes new director •   the Music Award 2025 goes to Miriam Skal • Shortlist SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit •  Retrospective on 40 years of DOK.fest  

From October Adele Kohout will take over the direction and management of DOK.fest München. The former Deputy Director follows Daniel Sponsel, who will become president of the HFF Munich in autumn. Maya Reichert, who currently heads the educational platform DOK.eduation, will be the new Deputy Managing Director and Deputy Director. "We want to further develop DOK.fest München as a platform for socially relevant topics and visionary narrative forms: with new formats, creative impulses and a lively dialogue between filmmakers and audiences," says Adele Kohout.
Our warmest congratulations and we are already looking forward to this next chapter in the history of DOK.fest!

To the new directors

Documentary Film Music Award 2025

Mirjam Skal  wins for  VRACHT

Congratulations to the young Swiss composer Mirjam Skal, who receives the German Documentary Film Music Award for her compositions for the film VRACHT by director Max Carlo Kohal!
From the jury statement: "Mirjam Skal‘s highly sensitive, reduced film music takes us deeper into this harsh and unfamiliar world than the images alone could. It defines the timing and atmosphere of the film. Music and sounds can make us feel things that remain hidden to the eye. We hear sounds inspired by steel, wind and weather that bring the freight containers to life."

••• To the Music Award 2025

Award of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit

Fünf Filme für den DOK.fest-Preis der SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit nominiert

We announce another shortlist! The DOK.fest Award of the SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit is endowed with 3,000 euros and is donated by B.O.A Videofilmkunst. It honours films that make the perspective of children and young people visible and tangible in a special way:

AFTERWAR
Dänemark, Kosovo, Schweden, Finnland 2024, Birgitte Stærmose, 84 Min.

War never ends. Four people speak about the trauma they suffered during the Kosovo war and their hopes for the future.

DAS FAST NORMALE LEBEN
Deutschland 2025, Stefan Sick, 135 Min.

Wild and strong! Four young girls develop through an almost normal life.

MY SWEET LAND
Jordanien, Frankreich, USA, Irland 2024, Sareen Hairabedian, 86 Min.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh eats away at Vrej’s childhood. Will he be able to stay in his home or be forced to flee?

RASHID, L’ENFANT DE SINJAR
Belgien, Frankreich 2025, Jasna Krajinovic, 80 Min.
A young Yazidi struggles with his past – and an uncertain future in Sinjar.

THE MOUNTAIN WON'T MOVE
Nordmazedonien, Slowenien, Frankreich 2024, Petra Seliškar, 91 Min. 
Three brothers caught between tradition and ambition. Do they carry on tending to their sheep or take a chance at a different life?

••• To the nominees

  Retrospective on 40 years of DOK.fest

Vier Filme aus vier Jahrzehnten DOK.fest-Geschichte

DOK.fest München is turning 40! To celebrate the anniversary, there will be a retrospective with four highlights from four decades: STEP ACROSS THE BORDER (CH, DE 1990) by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel, LES GLANEURS ET LA GLANEUSE (FR 2000) by Agnès Vardas, CITIZENFOUR (DE, US 2014) by Laura Poitras and THE EUPHORIA OF BEING (HU 2019) by Réka Szabós. The films will be shown during the festival in May at the cinemas and some of them on the digital screen.