The Dokumentale is returning from June 12 to 22 for its second edition, once again celebrating diverse forms of non-fiction storytelling. On opening weekend, Atelier Gardens will transform into a festival campus, where documentaries, live podcasts, virtual reality, photography, and talks will come together in a vibrant programme blending contemplation and entertainment.
Berlin, 20 May 2025—The Dokumentale is returning from June 12 to 22 for its second edition, once again celebrating diverse forms of non-fiction storytelling. On opening weekend, Atelier Gardens will transform into a festival campus, where documentaries, live podcasts, virtual reality, photography, and talks will come together in a vibrant programme blending contemplation and entertainment. Highlights include Ode an das Handwerk (Ode to Handcraft) by Donata Wenders and Mariupol: The City that Refused to Die by Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winners Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniya Maloletka. But the festival won’t be staying in one place: from 16 June, the Dokumentale will be taking over neighbourhood cinemas across Berlin. D’Lounges will also take the programme to unique cultural venues such as Kunsthaus Dahlem and the Dragonerareal - merging documentaries with music and performance.
Three documentary works from Germany, Ukraine, and Serbia, will be broadening our view of reality beyond the screen at this second edition of the Dokumentale (12–22 June). With her audiovisual series Ode an das Handwerk (Ode to Handcraft), Donata Wenders shines a light on what is being lost in the shadow of technological progress: the knowledge of the hands. Her quiet observations capture touches, routines, and gestures - a part of everyday life that has now all but vanished.
The other two showcases turn their attention to the political. Mariupol: The City that Refused to Die by Oscar-winning journalists Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniya Maloletka presents images of a besieged city that refuses to surrender - and of people who, against all odds, have chosen to stay. From Serbia comes a photographic documentation of a student-led protest movement, telling a story of resistance, anger, and democratic hope. Light - A Look at Serbia’s Protest Movement has been curated by O3ONE Art Space in collaboration with ULUPUDS. What unites these projects? They show people remaining resilient in the face of adversity.
These photo and video works are being shown at Atelier Gardens - one of the Dokumentale’s central venues. Here, on the festival’s opening weekend, different perspectives and formats will converge: film screenings, immersive performances, virtual experiences, readings, and live podcasts will be joined by the industry programme D’Hub, fostering dialogue among media professionals, activists, and the public.
But the festival won’t remain confined to one place. In addition to Atelier Gardens and Berlin's neighbourhood cinemas, the Dokumentale will be travelling through the city with D’Lounges, bringing documentary formats to hotspots of nightlife and culture. On 21 June, for instance, the Dragonerareal in Kreuzberg will become the stage for Franko Dujmić’s Funk YU, a musical documentary and vinyl journey through the former Yugoslavia - complete with a record fair and shot of Slibowitz. Three days earlier, on 18 June, Gabriela Domínguez-Ruvalcaba’s film essay WAYS TO TRAVERSE A TERRITORY will invite audiences at the Kunsthaus Dahlem to reconsider ideas of home and belonging - reflections that artist Sarah Schurian will expand on with her performance raumkörper, translating those ideas into movement and space.
On 22 June, the Dokumentale will draw to a close with an award ceremony and plenty of Berlin flair. For the first time, the director’s cut of Sophie Sonntag’s 2018 mockumentary BLAUES LICHT will be screened, capturing graffiti and BVG (Berlin’s public transport system) stunts by the notorious artist collective Rocco and His Brothers.
The Dokumentale (12–22 June 2025) is a Berlin-based festival for documentary formats that promotes films, new media, non-fiction books, and podcasts. It offers a platform for filmmakers, journalists, authors, artists, scholars, and audiences to meet and collaborate.
From 12 to 15 June, the D’Hub industry programme will take place alongside the main programme, offering the film sector new ideas in panels, workshops, and networking events. One highlight will be The Good Media Pitch, Germany’s first film and impact programme, which will connect selected projects with experts from civil society to foster potential partnerships.
The festival and industry programme receive significant support from the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
The Dokumentale is organized by The Good Media Network, an initiative that supports outstanding films and media projects seeking to create a more just, sustainable, and inspiring world.
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