Doxumentale is Berlin's International Documentary and Media festival, inaugurated in October 2024. The third will be held in May/June2026.

The festival showcases a diverse range of documentary films, award-winning media projects, immersive VR experiences, and non-fiction book readings, addressing contemporary societal issues and offering fresh perspectives.

Beyond traditional screenings, Dokumentale features unique event formats such as D'Lounge, which combines film screenings, discussions, and non-fiction readings in unconventional venues, followed by DJ sets or artistic performances, bridging Berlin's nightlife with its cultural scene. Additionally, D'Salon serves as an interactive forum where attendees can engage directly with filmmakers, experts, and authors over coffee or aperitifs.

The festival also hosts D'Hub, an industry platform dedicated to international documentary filmmaking. Through workshops, panel discussions, and Germany's first impact pitch—The Good Media Pitch—documentary creators collaborate with decision-makers and civil society actors to develop new partnerships and campaigns that benefit both films and society.

With over 120 film screenings and events, Dokumentale offers a comprehensive festival experience both on and off the big screen, fostering ample opportunities for exchange and engagement within Berlin's vibrant cultural landscape

Awards & Prizes


The Doxumentale International Documentary and Media Festival Berlin presents awards in four categories:

Best Documentary Film Award - Celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking.
Best Podcast Award - Honoring outstanding achievements in non-fiction podcasting.
Best VR Award - Recognizing innovative storytelling in virtual reality.
Best Non-Fiction Book Award - Awarding exceptional works in non-fiction literature.
These awards highlight diverse formats of impactful and creative storytelling.

Rules & Terms

Rules and Terms for Submission
Premiere Requirements:

Berlin Premiere: Required for all films submitted.
German Premiere: Mandatory for films in competition.

Screenings:
Films not in competition: Up to 2 screenings and, if feasible, VOD availability for up to 200 admissions.
Films in competition: Up to 3 screenings and, if feasible, VOD availability for up to 200 admissions.
Eligibility:

Only films completed in 2025 or 2026 are eligible.
Films must have a runtime of 40 minutes or longer.
Submissions are limited to non-fiction films, including non-fiction animation formats.
These terms ensure the festival focuses on recent and innovative documentary storytelling.
3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Tatiana Chekhova

    Doxumentale is a lovely festival with an impressive program, good networking opportunities and iconic Berlin venues. It's only 2 years old but gets the attention of the best industry professionals.

    June 2025
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  • L B

    Our film Changing Sides / Im Osten was Neues got selected for the 2025 edition and we won the Audience Award. I felt warmly welcomed, loved the festival with its focus on a variety of documentary forms (films but also books, podcast, dance performance) and on impact producing. Huge congrats to the whole team.
    Berlin got a new top notch festival in town.

    June 2025
    Helpful
  • Kaya Hansen

    My short film got selected for the Dokumentale Shorts this year, which made me very happy. But after receiving the „selected“ notifcation on film freeway I never heard anything from the festival itself. I emailed them, once, twice, three times as the weeks passed. I reached out on their Instagram because no one was replying to me. I never heard back. And I couldn’t find any information about the shorts section on the festivals website. Then two days before the festival started I received a mail from one of the managers, asking me to send in my video file and mentioning that they haven’t managed to reach me. I immediately replied, being excited to finally have heard something back. But even then I never heard anything back, to this point I still don’t know if, where and when my film was shown. They also mentioned paying a screening fee, that I never got either. I really don’t know whats happening here, since I really thought Dokumentale was a well established festival. But sadly to me it really felt more like a scam… Maybe this was a big miscommunication and all emails got lost? I hope to hear something back here at least, just to know what went wrong here. I’m sure it wouldve been a lovely festival, I wouldve loved to attend it, if only the communication wouldn’t have failed so badly.

    June 2025
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