In the organizer's words:

The Tübingen Documentary Film Festival tüDOK returns for its fifth edition from February 2 to 4, 2026, focusing this year on the theme of "rays of hope". The festival is organized by students of the Media Studies Master's programme at the University of Tübingen under the direction of Prof. Dr. Susanne Marschall, Professor of Media Studies, and Kurt Schneider, Managing Director of the Centre for Media Competence. Since the festival was founded in 2022, students have been designing the programme independently every year - from finding topics to organizing the festival.

To coincide with the first festival screening of "Queens of Joy", tüDOK 2026 will open with a dazzling drag show. As a special highlight this year, the renowned German film director Doris Dörrie - the maker of the film "This Beautiful Fucking Life", which will also be shown in the festival program - is also expected to attend. Doris Dörrie will talk about her work during the festival and provide exciting insights into her working methods.

Festival program 2026

Over the course of three days, tüDOK will present six international and national documentaries in the Kino Museum that illuminate the topic of "rays of hope" in very different ways:

- Queens of Joy

- House Number Zero

- Azza

- Something New in the East

- Vika!

- This beautiful fucking life

The films tell of hope in times of crisis, of courage and humanity, of community and the breaking up of traditional structures - on a small and large scale. Each film screening will be accompanied by a moderated discussion. Experts from academia, civil society, filmmakers and protagonists will discuss what they have seen and create space for exchange, in-depth discussion and critical perspectives.

Admission is free.

Reservations can be made via the festival website or directly at the venue. The complete program schedule with all screening times is published online.

Website: https://tuedok.mewi-projekte.de