The documentary film festival Dok.fest was supposed to take place in Munich from 6 to 17 May 2020, but against the background of the spread of the corona virus and an uncertain future, the organizers have now pulled the rip cord and cancelled the event on site.
Since a postponement was out of the question, going online was the only option to celebrate the festival - at least partially - after all. To the delight of viewers all over Germany, Dok.fest in the form of "DOK.fest Munich @Home 2020" will offer the opportunity to not only explore a selected international film programme from the comfort of one's own home, but also to create a virtual festival feeling through an additional attractive supporting programme, which should give viewers the feeling that they are not just watching films via streaming as is the case with classic online services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Daniel Sponsel, the festival director of Dok.fest on the new plan:
A festival lives from the cinema experience on the big screen and from intercultural exchange, from personal encounters on location. These aspects are irreplaceable for the 2020 edition. But with the online festival, we want to send a signal that culture is an important aspect of our social exchange and cohesion and that it must continue to take place, albeit in a different form.
It is now widespread to watch films online, and we can assume that this also applies to our audience to a large extent. For us as a team, the exciting challenge is that an online festival must offer more than just a streaming service. We should not only provide films, but also a programme structure and an attractive supporting programme, thus creating a virtual festival feeling.
That is what it will be all about, that is our task. We have already received numerous commitments from the rights holders of the films that should be shown regularly at the festival: They will also be present at DOK.fest Munich @Home 2020. I have the feeling that the industry is now moving even closer together. Above all, we would like to thank our two important supporters, the Bavarian Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Department of Culture of the City of Munich, for their solidarity and support in this new direction.
The team at DOK.fest Munich is working flat out to put together an attractive digital programme by the beginning of May.
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