Dokumentale announced Competition

The competition films for the 1st Dokumentale have been announced. Ten films, including eight German premieres and one international premiere, will compete for the €20,000 grand prize, awarded by an international jury consisting of Marie Erbs Ørbæk (CPH:DOX), Mara Prohaska Marković (Beldocs), and director Ibrahim Nash'at (HOLLYWOODGATE). Of the prize, €10,000 will go directly to the filmmaker, while the remaining €10,000 will support marketing efforts surrounding the film’s release. With this, Dokumentale aims to contribute to the sustainable distribution of documentary films.

The Competition Films

The competition program addresses major themes like empowerment, climate change, and environmental protection. STANDING ABOVE THE CLOUDS by Jalena Keane-Lees and YINTAH by Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham portray Indigenous activists fighting against environmental exploitation. Katarina Stankovic's THE TEMPEST OF NEPTUN explores the limits of tourism, while Debra Aroko and Nicole Gormley’s SEARCHING FOR AMANI delves into the troubling intersection of colonial legacy and climate change through the mysterious death of a tour guide in Kenya.

In MY SEXTORTION DIARIES, director Patricia Franquesa recounts a hacking incident that led to the circulation of her nude photos. Santiago Mazas’ STATE OF SILENCE highlights courageous individuals fighting for press freedom amidst Mexican drug cartels and corruption. THE FRIENDSHIP BENCH by Reabetswe Moeti-Vogt tells a different story of activism: In Zimbabwe, grandmothers are trained to engage in conversations and offer support on "Friendship Benches" due to the country’s shortage of psychologists.

Art is also well represented. In NEW WAVE, Elisabeth Ai reflects on the role New Wave music played for Vietnamese refugees in 1980s USA. Lucija Stojevic’s PEPI FANDANGO follows Holocaust survivor and musician Peter Pérez as he searches for the music that gave him strength since the Third Reich: Fandango, a variation of Flamenco. Lastly, D.W. Young’s UNCROPPED pays tribute to legendary photographer James Hamilton and his body of work.

In over 120 film screenings and events, Dokumentale presents a wide range of documentary work.

• As part of the d'Lounge series, which hosts film screenings at unusual locations in Berlin, filmmaker Elizabeth Ai will present her competition entry NEW WAVE at the DASHI Canteen, followed by a DJ set by Ai herself.
• Additionally, ALREADYMADE by Barbara Visser, a film that explores Marcel Duchamp's The Fountain and questions its authorship, will be screened at the Berlinische Galerie as another d'Lounge event.
• One of eight d'Salons—which combine readings, discussions, and film screenings at the Dokumentale festival center—will be dedicated to club culture. With Aaron Trinder's FREE PARTY: A FOLK HISTORY, the festival not only explores the history of the British underground movement and the rave culture of the late '80s, but also welcomes Spiral Tribe artist Mark Angelo Harrison for a reading from his book A Darker Electricity: The Origins Of The Spiral Tribe Soundsystem.
• Another d'Salon will focus on science and ethical questions. Kerstin Hoppenhaus will present her book Die Salze der Erde, while Hans Dortmans, with his documentary HIDDEN DANCE OF EELS, attempts to uncover the mysteries of the enigmatic eel, a creature that still presents many puzzles.

Visitors can also experience the following films in theaters:

• SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT by Johan Grimonprez, which premiered at Sundance and honors the role of jazz musicians after the assassination of Lumumba in 1961 in the newly independent Congo.
• GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC by Daniel McCabe, which showcases a little-known tradition from Uganda: the ceremonial harvesting of grasshoppers as a delicacy during their mating season.
• FAUNA by Pau Faus, a documentary essay exploring the parallels of modern society: during the COVID-19 pandemic, a shepherd near Barcelona lives alongside a high-tech lab conducting animal experiments.
• WARM FILM by Dragan Jovićević, which examines how queer people have been represented and portrayed in Yugoslavian and Serbian cinema over the decades.
• IRIS by Anke Sterneborg and Irene Höfer, a TV documentary shedding light on the legendary German star Iris Berben and her prominent companions, including Jim Rakete, Ruben Östlund, and Barbara Sukowa.
• HOLLYWOOD GATE by jury member Ibrahim Nash'ta (closing film), documenting the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan and the rebuilding of their propaganda structures.

You can find the entire publicly accessible program for Dokumentale '24 here.

The Good Media Pitch and D'Hub - Meeting Point for the Film Industry and Civil Society
From October 14 to 16, Dokumentale offers the d'Hub, a hybrid platform of panels and workshops exclusively for industry professionals. The flagship event of the d'Hub is The Good Media Pitch, where six film teams will pitch impact strategies developed over the past months with international experts from The Good Media Lab. These strategies, focused on digital campaigns, partner acquisition, and distribution, not only have the potential to enhance the reach of the films but also to drive societal transformations more directly. Alongside the pitch, which takes place on October 15, d'Hub will offer a diverse program of interactive discussions and workshops on October 14 and 16, addressing the foundations and ethical considerations of documentary storytelling as well as future trends.

Accreditations for the industry program are now available. You can find the full industry program and an overview of the six pitching film projects here.

Festival Passes + Ticket Purchase
Visitors to Dokumentale can purchase two different festival passes on the website, granting access either to all events or to five selected events during the festival, along with selected films available for streaming. Admission to the VX and media exhibition is based on voluntary donations.

About Dokumentale
The Dokumentale (October 10 to 20) is a festival dedicated to documentary formats, supporting films, new media, non-fiction books, and podcasts. Held annually in Berlin, the festival provides a platform for exchange between filmmakers, journalists, authors, artists, scientists, and audiences. In addition to the festival, the d'Hub offers a comprehensive industry program from October 14 to 17, with The Good Media Pitch as its centerpiece.

Press Contact
For questions, material requests, and interview inquiries, please feel free to contact us at ketzscher@posteo.de or +17620730333.

The Dokumentale is organized by The Good Media Network, which is dedicated to supporting outstanding films that strive to make the world a more just, sustainable, and beautiful place.