The future was in the air, even back then, in the pandemic May 2021. In the last few days of the most recent Doc Festival, visitors were allowed back into the cinemas. The Corona rules had been relaxed, which is why it was possible for film fans to return from their computers to the cinemas just during the festival. “To suddenly experience the reactions of the audience in the hall again, totally touching!” What festival director Daniel Sponsel was pleased about after two improvised but well-attended digital editions is now being continued. As was recently announced, the upcoming 37th edition is to take place as a hybrid: the 117 films from 41 countries that have already been announced are to be shown in May both on the cinema screen in Munich and on computers at home (2021: 131 films). With this decision, the documentary film festival, which is also known beyond Bavaria, should find the “largest possible audience” (2021: 71,000 viewings); “the course for the future of the festival” should be set.
Cinema and online edition slightly delayed
“Our ultimate goal is collective participation in our program: That’s why we show the documentaries in Munich cinemas, the most beautiful places for film experiences,” said Sponsel together with his colleague Adele Kohout. “In addition, we are also presenting them on the digital screen, so that they are accessible to all those documentary fans who, for a variety of reasons, cannot make it to the cinemas.”
The 37th Dok-Fest takes place from May 4th to 15th in the City, Rio, Filmmuseum and Neues Maxim cinemas, as well as in the HFF and the Deutsches Theater, where the opening is planned again. The online edition is scheduled a little later, from May 9th to 22nd. In this way, the big premieres should be made possible exclusively in the cinema.