DOK Leipzig celebrates another record viewing audience
DOK Neuland and “Zeitkino” at the central railway station were the new audience attractions
The 58th edition of DOK Leipzig has come to a close with a new, record-breaking attendance figure. A viewing audience of 48,000 came to the cinemas and events at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film in the course of the past week, about 4,000 more than in 2014, which was also a record year. As in the previous year, over 100 showings were sold out. The growth in attendance arose mainly due to two new projects. DOK Neuland, the interactive exhibition on Leipziger Marktplatz, drew an audience of 4,300. The revival of the historic Zeitkino at Leipzig’s central railway station was equally a major success. Thanks to the support given by the PROMENADEN Hauptbahnhof Leipzig mall, 2,500 viewers were able to watch film classics for free during the festival week. The Zeitkino programme will continue to run until 8 November.
Leena Pasanen, the new festival director, is naturally quite happy about the record viewing audience. “Our concept to have the festival display a greater presence, meaning outside the movie theatres too, has been borne out to the fullest. DOK Leipzig is deeply rooted in this city. The throngs of viewers eager to see the films show that.”
DOK Industry, the film festival’s offer for visitors from the film profession, proved itself once again as an international meeting point for the documentary film industry. 79 events took place during the festival week; 750 individual meetings were organized at the Co-Production Meeting alone. The largest supporters of DOK Industry are the Creative Europe programme from the EU, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, and the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). With 1750 professionals from 76 countries attending, DOK Industry again achieved the record-setting level attained the year before.
German films had a very successful evening at the awards ceremony held on Saturday. Of a total of 19 prizes offered, 8 went to German filmmakers, both men and women. In the acclaimed International Competition Long Documentary and Animated Film, Wojciech Staroń won the Golden Dove for “Brothers”. At DOK Leipzig a sum total of prizes worth 75,500 euros were distributed, making the festival one of the best-endowed documentary film festivals in Europe.
During the past week the film festival screened 316 films from 62 countries.
Next year DOK Leipzig will take place from the 31st of October to the 6th of November.
You can find photos of the prize-winners at:
http://www.dok-leipzig.de/en/
Any questions regarding the press release?
Annika Goetz, Maria Preußner | presse@dok-leipzig.de | +49 341 30864-1070
