May in Munich. The sun bathes the city in warmth, the conversations are focused, the coffee strong. It’s DOK.fest season—widely considered the heart of the documentary spring. At the center of it all: the DOK.forum, a hub for industry exchange, critical thinking, and possibility. I was invited to moderate two panels—an intense and inspiring experience that brought me together with old friends, new colleagues, and many brilliant voices.
Paul Rieth, together with Ingrid Huebscher (Doc Campus) and Beran Erdogan (DOK.forum), had put together a program that combined international perspectives with concrete questions. No empty buzzword bingo—just real engagement: with funding models beyond public grants, new avenues for distribution, and the responsibility that comes with telling real-life stories.
Money, Visibility, and the Matter of Impact
At the panel “Funding Outside the Box”, experts discussed crowdfunding, impact investments, and partnerships with companies and foundations—along with the need to actively shape and guide those partnerships. The focus was on creative funding models, but also on transparency: What promises are being made? What remains of a project once third parties are involved? “When working with companies, you need to be crystal clear about what you're offering—and what you're not,” someone noted. And yes, crowdfunding is still alive—but it's hard work. A lot of work. At the same time, it’s a powerful way to build a committed audience from early on.
Later in the day, the conversation turned to changes in film distribution. Traditional exploitation models are no longer enough—new strategies are needed. One major topic: YouTube—not as a fallback, but as a serious platform with significant reach and long-term revenue potential. The catch? The film must be “advertisement-friendly,” meaning suitable as “day content.” In short: minimal nudity, violence, or death. If that’s the case, said Anouk van Dijk, YouTube can indeed be a source of sustainable income.
Responsibility in Front of and Behind the Camera
The second part of the program took a deeper dive—emotional, ethical, and human. The AG Dok panel focused on the relationship between protagonists and directors. How do we handle protagonists who are traumatized? How do we protect them—and ourselves? How honest are we about our own roles? Vera Maria Brückner spoke openly about becoming part of her own film—to shift the question of proximity and distance in a meaningful way. “For me, directing means being an ally.”
Others spoke about stories that were never released because trust had been lost. About consents that were later withdrawn. About heirs, personality rights, and the timeless question: Who owns a story—and when is it okay to tell it?
Film Festivals as Spaces of Possibility
During DOK.fest, the AG Filmfestival meeting also took place. Festival director Daniel Sponsel put it plainly: Of the 105 films in the program, only 21 will go on to be shown in cinemas or on television. This makes the role of festivals even more vital—not just as showcases, but as networks, spaces for discourse, and places of resonance.
They are stages for films that might otherwise disappear—both internationally and locally. Places of density, collaboration, and maybe even resistance: against the swipe-away mentality, against the commodification of all content, against forgetting.
What Remains?
For me, these two days were an intense space of resonance. They raised questions that go far beyond industry debates: How do we tell stories? Why do we tell them? And what do we do when storytelling itself becomes a burden?
And in the end, what lingers most is anticipation—for the Dokumentale, for our d’Hub, for all the spaces where we’ll continue these conversations and explore new ideas.
