Submission to DOK.forum Marketplace
Who can apply for DOK.forum Marketplace?
Experienced and emerging (documentary) filmmakers, digital creators, producers and film composers are cordially invited to submit their projects to the DOK.forum Marketplace (7 to 11 May 2025).
Students from our partner universities can apply for the DOK.talent Award.
Guest Region DOK.forum Marketplace 2025: the Baltics
Filmmakers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are invited to apply to all competitions and formats open to international participants of the Marketplace.
What we are looking for
The DOK.forum Marketplace is looking for strong documentary film projects in all stages of development.
With a focus on outstanding creative feature-length documentaries, we also have room for television format, series, web or innovative media formats. The thematic orientation is open, with an emphasis on the relevance of the story – both for possible co-productions in the German-speaking world as well as internationally – as well as on originality and artistic quality.
Marketplace pitch events and awarded competitions to submit
By applying to the Marketplace, projects can be eligible for various pitch formats. In addition to Roundtables and One-to-One meetings, the Marketplace offers five pitch events to which you can specifically apply, including four award-winning competitions:
- Master's Pitch, in partnership with Documentary Campus: projects in development or early production, with great potential for international co-productions. Further information
- DOK.archive Award, sponsored by British Pathé, endowed with 2,500 euros or archive material worth 22,500 euros: projects in development or early production, with a relevant proportion of archive material. Further information
- DOK.composition Award, sponsored by Sonoton Music and Deutscher Komponist:innen Verband, endowed with 2,500 euros: projects in all stages of development with a solid compositional concept from a German-speaking (DACH) country production company. Further information
- DOK.digital Award, sponsored by the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM), endowed with 2,500 euros: completed works of new media projects from German-speaking (DACH) countries. Further information
- DOK.talent Award, sponsored by SÜDKINO Filmproduktion, endowed with 2,500 euros: projects in pre-production stage by students from our partner film universities. Further information
In addition to the four pitch competitions, other prizes and mentorships will again be awarded at Marketplace 2025.
How to apply, submission documents and submission deadlines
The project submission is done via our website.
- If you are submitting a project for the first time and do not yet have a user account with us, please register here by creating an account.
- If you already have an account, you can log in at our website at any time and submit a new project. In case you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one via our system.
- To submit via the online form, select the module "DOK.forum Marketplace" under "Your account" after logging in. You can then use the button "Neues Projekt" (top right) to create a new marketplace project and start your submission. In the submission form you have the possibility to tick the respective competition.
Please have the following information ready for submission:
- Logline (50 to 400 characters)
- Synopsis (50 to 1,500 characters)
- Visual concept (50 to 800 characters)
- Statement by the filmmaker (50 to 600 characters)
- Goal or mission at the DOK.forum Marketplace (50 to 300 characters)
- Link to the trailer
- Link to film stills
- Link to self-portrait video
- Bios of director and producer (50 to 400 characters each)
- Link to work samples
- For submssions to the DOK.archive Award by British Pathé: concept for handling archive material
- For submissions to the DOK.composition Award by Sonoton Music: compositional concept for a documentary film project
The prerequisite for a Marketplace registration is a meaningful application.
We accept submissions in German or English. In case of acceptance, we kindly ask projects written in German to translate their submission into English for our catalog.
Deadlines:
Marketplace (all pitch formats and competitions except DOK.talent): 17 January 2025
DOK.talent Award: 24 February 2025
Project selection
The Marketplace selection committee selects from all submitted projects the 40 most promising ones each year. In order to ensure the best possible match for both participants and Marketplace experts, the projects are carefully read and assigned to each DOK.forum Marketplace pitch format. Applicants will receive information about the status of their submission by the end of March 2025.
Participation fee & accreditation
Submissions are free of charge.
If your project is selected, the total participation fee for the DOK.forum Marketplace is 200,- euros per project (including accreditations for DOK.fest München). Selection for the DOK.digital Award is free of charge.
A maximum of two people per project can participate in the Marketplace (except for the DOK.composition Award, which includes three people).
Projects from developing or low-income communities are eligible for a waiver or discount. Please ask us!
The accreditation for the DOK.forum Marketplace includes:
- Individual matchmaking
- Presence in the catalog
- Participation in One-to-One meetings
- Access to DOK.forum events (Marketplace and Perspectives)
- Master's Pitch selection and DOK.talent Award: pitch training
- Catering during DOK.forum Marketplace events
- On-site or online technical assistance
- Networking with high-level international experts
- Accreditation for the festival, including access to all events and receptions of DOK.fest München 2025 (including the opening event)
We are looking forward to your submissions!
Contact
Alina Götzlich
marktplatz@dokfest-muenchen.de
DOK.fest München
Dachauer Straße 116
80636 München
Germany
Phone: +49 89 51 51 97 86
