Aleksandra (Ola) Staszel will be the new director of the Leipzig International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film from 1 January 2026. She succeeds Christoph Terhechte, who is leaving his position for personal reasons at the end of January 2026. The appointment was announced by Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung on 20 October 2025 and is still subject to confirmation by the City Council, which is, however, considered a mere formality.

Staszel currently directs the Neisse Film Festival in the border region between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Born in Poland, she studied film and literature as well as European studies in Wrocław and Aachen and has lived in Berlin since 1999. In addition to her festival work, she founded the mobile cinema "The Rolling Movies" and was a member of the jury of the German Film and Media Rating Board (FBW) in Wiesbaden for over ten years.

The selection committee, chaired by Mayor of Culture Dr Skadi Jennicke, emphasised Staszel's artistic perspective and her feel for socially relevant topics - particularly with regard to Eastern Europe. This focus is in keeping with DOK Leipzig's tradition of promoting cinematic analyses of current social issues.

Christoph Terhechte, who has headed the festival since 2018, will familiarise his successor with the new task. Both will talk about the future of the festival together in the "Festival Visions" discussion on 30 October 2025. This year's edition of DOK Leipzig will take place from 27 October to 2 November 2025.