DOK.fest München Final curtain and BEST DOKS

Dear friends of DOK.fest München,

With our heads full of memorable moments, we look forward to the last weekend of DOK.fest 2026 and a grand finale featuring our main awards ceremony on Saturday 16 May, as well as a band that has shaped the sound of Munich's indie rock scene – Sportfreunde Stiller – on Monday 18 May.
The final curtain is reserved for the BEST DOKS: a full day to revisit or discover the most-watched and award-winning documentary films from this year’s festival edition.
However, this is not a farewell, but a relocation: enjoy our documentary film programme from the comfort of your own home on the digital screen until 25 May.

BEST DOKS

The final Sunday of DOK.fest on-site is encore time. We’re bringing them back to the big screen: our best, most beloved, most talked-about, award-winning BEST DOKS.
A cinema Sunday at its finest: the moving father-son story in PAIKAR, the incredible family who dedicated their lives to a glacier in LA PIETÀ, the winner of the VFF Documentary Film Production Award INNERE EMIGRANTEN, or the film that takes a close look at the trendiest pastime of the moment – WATCHING PEOPLE WATCHING BIRDS – we’ll make every cineaste’s heart sing.

 DOK.fest München Award ceremony

Saturday night is the big night: we’ll be announcing the winners of our main prizes. Almost two weeks of the festival have led up to this evening. Our juries have been moving from cinema to cinema; discussions have taken place; impressions have been gathered and debated.

We have already selected some of the prize winners; our main awards ceremony will then focus on our VIKTORIAS and the Student Award.

For the VIKTORIA DOK.international Main Competition, sponsored by Bayerischer Rundfunk and endowed with 10,000 euros, films are nominated that impress with their high artistic quality and remarkable diversity of content and form.

Sponsored by Sky and with a prize of 7,500 euros, the VIKTORIA DOK.deutsch competition considers films that relate to people and current issues from the German-speaking countries.

For the VIKTORIA DOK.horizonte Competition – Cinema of Urgency, sponsored by the Petra Kelly Foundation and with a prize fund of 5,000 euros, films are nominated that focus on countries with unstable structures. 

The megaherz Student Award focuses on outstanding documentary films by students at German-speaking film schools. The award is sponsored by megaherz and comes with a prize of 3,000 euros.

And last but not least, we are presenting the kinokino Audience Award, sponsored by BR and 3sat and worth 2,000 euros. 

Film screening, talk with the director and the band

SPORTFREUNDE STILLER – MIT DEM HERZ IN DER HAND

Deutschland 2026, Thorsten Berrar, 90 Min.

Our Finale Furioso tells the story of a truly iconic band: Through their songs, Sportfreunde Stiller have helped shape the outlook on life of an entire generation. Now, to mark their 30th anniversary, they are back in the spotlight. With exclusive access, the film follows the indie rock band as they create their new album. An intense musical portrait unfolds, capturing moments both on and off stage, as well as in their private lives. 

Following the film screening, Franziska Niesar will host a talk with director Thorsten Berrar and the band. 

DOK.fest@Home

Our DOK.fest@Home programme has been running across Germany since Monday 11 May, bringing the cinema experience to your home. 
Whether it’s the gripping story of people in Japan who vanish without a trace in VAPEUR, the film MATERIA PRIMA – winner of the German Documentary Film Music Award – or the visually stunning account of life between being an athlete and motherhood in I FOLLOW RIVERS – we’re bringing the best documentary films to your living room.

Personal Memoriams

In December 2025, two great filmmakers passed away: Rosa von Praunheim and Georg Stefan Troller. In our Personal Memoriams section, we aim to shape remembrance not as a quiet retrospective, but as a living dialogue. Alongside the film screenings, a person with close personal or professional ties to the departed will curate and moderate a discussion that offers insights into the filmmaker’s creative process. 
In the case of Rosa von Praunheim, this person is Julia von Heinz. The director regarded von Praunheim as a mentor, close confidant and companion. In her obituary, she speaks of their bond and the inspiration he provided.

On Sunday 17 May at 6 pm in the HFF’s Audimax, as part of the Personal Memoriam, we will be screening Rosa von Praunheim’s MEINE MÜTTER and Julia von Heinz’ MEINE VÄTER.

Film journalist Moritz Holfelder recalls his first encounter with Georg Stefan Troller in his touching letter to the filmmaker. 
On Sunday, 17 May, we will be screening Georg Stefan Troller’s film BEGEGNUNG IM KNAST at 11 am at the Literaturhaus as part of the Personal Memoriam.