Since 2013, #DOK.fest München# has maintained a thematic commitment to the African continent. Through its African Encounters strand, the festival offers a platform in Germany for African documentary filmmakers and intercontinental dialogue. In 2025, this initiative turns its focus to #climate justice, addressing the entangled legacies of ##colonialism and environmental crisis under the motto Let’s Talk Climate!
The programme features three films from #Kenya and the Democratic Republic of #Congo, each exploring how #climate change# is experienced, politicised, and remembered across African contexts. Complementing the screenings are panel discussions with filmmakers, scholars, and activists, creating a public space for critical reflection and exchange between Africa and Europe.
Among the selected works is Rising Up at Night – Tongo Saa (2024) by Congolese director Nelson Makengo. Set in #Kinshasa during a citywide blackout following catastrophic floods, the film offers a stark meditation on infrastructural failure and ecological vulnerability. Darkness is not only the visual frame but also a condition shaped by political neglect and global inequality.
The Battle for Laikipia (2024), co-directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi, examines deepening #droughts and land conflicts in Kenya’s #Laikipia region. Tracing how colonial-era land tenure systems intersect with present-day ecological stress, the film challenges viewers to consider climate change not as a great equalizer but as a force that often reproduces historical injustice.
In The Tree of Authenticity – L’Arbre de l’Authenticité (2025), acclaimed artist and filmmaker Sammy Baloji reflects on the legacy of Mobutu Sese Seko’s Authenticité ideology in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Drawing on archival and essayistic techniques, the film links post-independence #nationalism to contemporary climate policy, inviting reflection on how cultural memory shapes ecological futures.
A public panel discussion follows the screening of The Battle for Laikipia, addressing questions such as: What is the role of the colonial past in today’s climate politics? Can climate change governance reproduce racialised hierarchies? Engaging with these issues are four distinguished guests.
Sudanese activist Nisreen Elsaim, who holds degrees in physics and renewable energy, has led civil society efforts across local and international levels. A former chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, she advocates for climate justice in conflict-affected regions.
Anthropologist Dr. Thomas Hendriks, based at KU Leuven, brings field expertise from the Congolese timber industry. His 2022 book Rainforest Capitalism explores how global capitalism and masculinity converge in extractive environments.
Kenyan producer Toni Kamau, known for her collaborations with Al Jazeera and the BBC, focuses on African innovation and indigenous conservation. She serves on the boards of the International Documentary Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Julian Etienne, currently with Doc Society, has worked to connect socially engaged filmmaking with transformative audience experiences. A former programmer at Ambulante, he now supports filmmakers navigating production and impact strategies.
The event is free and open to the public, with discussions held in English. Part of the DOK.network Africa, African Encounters collaborates year-round with partner festivals across the continent, ensuring that programming is not only representative but rooted in mutual exchange.
