DOK Leipzig: Over 12,000 euros collected for barrier-free films!

DOK Leipzig: Over 12,000 euros collected for barrier-free films!

The DOK Leipzig Festival has done it: a crowdfunding campaign was launched to collect more than 12,000 euros for barrier-free film versions. The original target was an amount of around 11,000 euros, but this goal was already exceeded before the campaign officially ended. The campaign runs until Saturday, August 9th, and festival director Christoph Terhechte is pleased with the community's support. MDR reports that the money raised will be used to provide five films with audio descriptions for the visually impaired and closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

The idea for this crowdfunding campaign arose out of necessity, as funding from the Free State of Saxony for barrier-free offers was canceled this year. Last year, DOK Leipzig received 50,000 euros, which made it possible to make many films barrier-free. “Without these funds, we can only show films in barrier-free versions that are made available to us by the film crews,” Terhechte expressed concern. This year the inclusive offer will be significantly lower.

Community support

On August 7th, the campaign had already collected 11,378 euros from a total of 150 people. This sum not only includes the necessary costs for implementing the barrier-free offers, but also fees that are incurred in advance. What is particularly noteworthy is that the donations have now exceeded the target, which means that the number of barrier-free films may even be increased.

• Benötigte Summe: 11.100 Euro (10.000 Euro für Umsetzung barrierefreier Angebote + Gebühren)
• Aktueller Stand: 11.378 Euro
• Anzahl der Unterstützer: 150

The campaign was launched on June 26th and took place via the “Leipziger Crowd” platform, which is operated by both the Leipziger Group and fairplaid GmbH. Supporters were able to contribute with rewards starting at 10 euros, such as festival posters or advertising presence on the website. DOK Leipzig also issues donation receipts, which was an additional incentive for many supporters to make their financial contributions.

Restrictions due to funding cuts

As the cruiser reports, the cancellation of funding for DOK Leipzig in the Saxon double budget 2025/26 was a drastic step. The Saxon state parliament has at least reversed announced cuts in state funding of over 20 percent, which will keep institutional funding at the 2024 level. Nevertheless, the financial situation remains tense. Christoph Terhechte emphasizes the importance of promoting media literacy today and is actively looking for alternative financing options for next year's barrier-free offering.

The DOK Leipzig Festival will take place this year from October 27th to November 2nd and, despite all the challenges, will offer a smaller but fine program. Christoph Terhechte, who will step down from his position as artistic director at the end of January 2026, is optimistic that an attractive film offering can be realized despite the financial hurdles.