53,000 guests at DOK Leipzig - growing demand for debates

The DOK Leipzig film festival just missed an audience record this year. A total of 53,000 visitors attended the 68th edition of the documentary and animated film festival, according to the organizers. The previous year's record was set with 55,000 guests.

The rush of visitors shows how great the demand is for an artistic examination of global political issues and various realities of life, said festival director Christoph Terhechte. "There is a thirst for face-to-face debates - and these have all remained respectful at the festival. We would like to see this culture of discussion."

This year, the Leipzig Film Festival had 252 films from 55 countries in its program. It was the sixth and last under the direction of Christoph Terhechte. He is leaving the post early for personal reasons. His successor as of January 1, 2026 will be film and literature scholar Ola Staszel. Born in Poland, she was most recently co-head of the Neisse Film Festival in the border triangle of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.