DOK Leipzig (26 October-1 November) has announced the full DOK Industry programme (26-30 October) for its 69th edition. This year, it offers a vibrant mix of formats and activities that engage with key industry topics, foster creative exchange, and provide filmmakers with a space to showcase their work and build lasting connections within the international community.

DOK Leipzig once again reasserts its commitment to supporting documentary filmmakers and their vital work amid rising political instability and threats to freedom with a planned DOK Industry Talk titled “Doc Together: When Freedom of Expression Is at Risk”. Part of the festival’s joint initiative with the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, the panel will examine the escalating pressures on press and media freedom across Europe, and explore how documentary filmmakers, journalists and institutions can respond collectively.

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Under-represented populations are also in the focus of the festival’s industry programme. The DOK Industry talk “Making Space for Queer Cinema – The Curator’s Role” will highlight the importance of challenging mainstream depictions of queerness and the crucial role that film festivals can play in promoting intersectional storytelling within their programmes. Organised in co-operation with the Romani Filmmakers Network (RFN) and the Critical Film & Image Hub, the DOK Industry workshop “Building a Framework for Respectful Romani Representation” will trace the history of antigypsyism in cinema and introduce a framework for respectful Romani representation, followed by an interactive session that will gather feedback for its ongoing development.

Seeking to amplify African voices and actions in the ongoing climate crisis across the African continent, Generation Africa 2.0 Rough Cut Boutique brings five works in progress from Senegal, DR Congo, Kenya and Benin to Leipzig, while the DOK Co-Pro Market features 35 international projects in development, spanning documentary, animated documentary and fiction animation.

Indeed, DOK Leipzig is bolstering its focus on animation while forging a stronger link between that sector and documentary within its programme. Marking its fourth edition, the Animation Lab DOK Leipzig will take place once again in collaboration with CEE Animation. Under the mentorship of experienced producer Jean-François Le Corre and multidisciplinary artist Uri Kranot, the three-day workshop will equip producers developing their first animated documentary with the skills necessary to navigate the international animation industry. There will be a special focus on animation for adult audiences with the Adult Animation Roundtable, which will bring together creators, producers and industry experts to address the current state of adult animation, structural gaps limiting its growth, and the actions needed to increase its visibility and create a practical path forwards for the sector in Europe.

The panel “From Niche into the Spotlight – Pathways for Greater Visibility for European Animation” will identify approaches to expanding the reach of animated features and shorts, as well as measures that festivals, cinemas, distributors, the media and associations can adopt to intensify their presence. Finally, this year’s Animated Film Hommage and Masterclass will celebrate Trollfilm, a prize-winning Norwegian studio founded by Anita Killi, known for its cut-out, multiplane animation.

The fifth instalment of the DOK Archive Market will unspool this year. One of its most exciting events is the panel “Replatforming – AI and its Ethics for Archives, Producers and Archive Researchers”, which is set to probe the ethical stakes involved in working with archival footage in the context of the rise of artificial intelligence. Short n’ Sweet, the festival’s short-film pitch, has unveiled a fresh crop of projects, ranging from short documentaries to animated docs and other animated titles. During this event, Guardian Documentaries and arte.tv will announce the winner of their Democracy at Stake in Europe pitch, aimed at supporting short documentaries exploring the state of democracy today. Meanwhile, the DOK Industry Talk Community and Alternative Cinema Spaces and Practices will look at alternative approaches to film exhibition and distribution, exploring cinemas conceived as, or transformed into, spaces of encounter, social discourse and community.

You can explore the full programme here and the schedule here.