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The Festival

Fotodoks is an international and ambitious festival that reflects and discusses contemporary documentary photography in a lively and personal atmosphere.

Made by photographers for photographers, Fotodoks as an independent festival focuses on the documentary and social-critical power of photography and, irrespective of the regulations of the print media and the art business, asks openly about the motivation of photographers, their production conditions and the interests of clients and consumers.

Focusing on a different theme and partner region for each edition, Fotodoks perceives itself as an independent forum, which takes place in Munich every second year and has established itself since 2008 as the largest festival for documentary photography in the German-speaking world.

  • At a glance→

  • Fotodoks is taking a bow infront of our guest Anders Petersen at the festival 2010.
    Fotodoks is taking a bow infront of our guest Anders Petersen at the festival 2010.
  • At the festival in 2011 three Magnum-Workshops with the photographers Christopher Anderson, Thomas Dworzak and Moises Saman took place. (Photo: Stefan Becker)
    At the festival in 2011 three Magnum-Workshops with the photographers Christopher Anderson, Thomas Dworzak and Moises Saman took place. (Photo: Stefan Becker)
  • 92

    Photographers from 16 countries

  • 2008

    Fotodoks happens for the first time

  • In 2011 we had our own Fotodoks beer!
    In 2011 we had our own Fotodoks beer!
  • Special guest Jacob Holdt held a legendary talk of several hours at our festival in 2012. (Photo: Robert Pupeter)
    Special guest Jacob Holdt held a legendary talk of several hours at our festival in 2012. (Photo: Robert Pupeter)
  • For the second time Fotodoks presented an outdoor exhibition at Marienhof in Munich in 2015. (Photo: Robert Pupeter)
    For the second time Fotodoks presented an outdoor exhibition at Marienhof in Munich in 2015. (Photo: Robert Pupeter)
  • Over 900 visitors at our first exhibition opening at Münchner Stadtmuseum in 2011! (Photo: Matthias Oertel)
    Over 900 visitors at our first exhibition opening at Münchner Stadtmuseum in 2011! (Photo: Matthias Oertel)
  • Christoph Amend presents the ZEITmagazine-Photo-Prize. (Photo: Katrin Petroschkat)
    Christoph Amend presents the ZEITmagazine-Photo-Prize. (Photo: Katrin Petroschkat)

  • Meet the Fotodoks team

Exchange, Discourse and Inspiration

With a group exhibition and a comprehensive festival programme of lectures, panel discussions, workshops and screenings, Fotodoks provides the opportunity for professional photographers as well as the interested audience to explore new works, experience 'old masters', meet like-minded people, network, come into contact with different points of view and be inspired.

In a central group exhibition, 2017 at the Lothringer13 Hall, photographic works from the respective partner region and the German-speaking countries are shown. The exhibiting photographers are invited to be on location during the period of the festival, set up the exhibition together and get involved in the festival through lectures, workshops, talks or panel discussions. The exhibition is on display beyond the festival week. Regular guided tours are available, including as part of the Long Night of Museums Munich.

Prizes and Awards

During the Fotodoks Festival an international jury is awarding one of the works shown in the central group exhibition with the Fotodoks-Prize. Between 2012 and 2015 the prize was awarded in cooperation with ZEITmagazin. The previous winners are Sabine Schründer (2008), Armin Smailovic (2009), Gordon Welters (2010), Bruno Pulici (2011), Edmund Clark (2012), Linn Schröder (2013), Merlin Nadj-Torma (2015) and Annie Flanagan (2017). Additionally in 2015 Tanja Kernweiss received the Tirol-Audience-Award.

The Fotodoks Catalogue

For our festival catalogue we like to experiment and find new ways of translating the exhibition into a printed medium. Inspired by the respective partner region and the festival theme we are developing and producing it in collaboration with our designer. The catalogue contains additional texts and thoughts by various authors and the exhibiting photographers. For visitors of the exhibition the catalogue is free of charge.

Think Tank Between the Years

Since 2014 Fotodoks has been a biannual event. In the year between festivals the Fotodoks team focuses on research and invites a group of international experts, photographers and artists to a Fotodoks Think Tank in Munich to network, discuss and research the upcoming partner region and develop a festival theme. In an intense weekend we discuss the state of photography as a medium of documentation and communication in the upcoming partner region.