As is well known, the settlement takes place at the end, only in this case there are two endings: The Dok-Fest Munich ended on May 12th, with around 35,000 visitors coming to the cinemas and venues spread across the city in the most beautiful early summer weather. Anyone who wanted to stream the festival films could access them online until May 20th. There were another 19,000 sightings here. The 39th Dok Festival reached 54,000 people.
Last year there were 56,000 people, a little more. In 2024, however, 20 films and 30 fewer screenings were presented, festival director Daniel Sponsel emphasized in a final statement, and the audience numbers were therefore “almost identical”. The dual concept of face-to-face and online events has become established; the 40th edition of the Dok-Fest Munich is planned for May 7th to 25th, 2025.
A film about Japanese people who disappear overnight won one of the main prizes (“Johatsu – Into Thin Air”, Dok-international, 10,000 euros). Further awards went to “Between Us God” (Doc-German, 7,500 euros) and “Kamay” (Doc-Horizons, 5,000 euros). The FFF sponsorship award, endowed with 5,000 euros, went to “Exile Never Ends” (about the deportation of a man of Turkish origin), the Megaherz Student Award, endowed with 3,000 euros, was awarded to “Hausnummer Null” (a film about homelessness and drug addiction).
The audience was also allowed to vote: The audience award went to the documentary film “Beyond Guilt”, which tells the story of the parents of the so-called “patient murderer” Niels Högel.