 DOK Leipzig is part of the Doc Alliance – a creative partnership between 7 key European documentary film festivals.The initiative for the "1st All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and Documentary Films" came from West German journalist and film critic Ludwig Thomés who, in the course of a discussion with the East German filmmakers club, "Club der Filmschaffenden der DDR", proposed establishing a festival in Leipzig both as a counterpart to the "Mannheim Culture and Documentary Filmweek" (now known as International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg) and as a platform for productions from East Germany.After receiving permission from the responsible authorities, the inaugural festival was held from 11 to 17 September 1955 with Walter Kernicke as director.