About us

Mission

DOX BOX supports the emergence of a prosperous documentary film community, culture and practice in and from the Arab-speaking region while promoting the values and principles of justice, dignity, and human rights. More recently, it expanded its mission and focus working with documentary makers from the African continent and diaspora.

DOX BOX was set up to focus on supporting and enabling an inclusive and original documentary film culture, with main focus on the Arab-speaking countries, offering non-traditional support through multifaceted programs rather than mere monetary support.

With one foot in Europe and the other in the Arab region and now Africa, DOX BOX values and enhances diversity in skills, perspectives, growth, and inclusivity in the documentary film field.

As the organization redefines its focus for the period 2025-2028, DOX BOX activities are currently on hiatus in 2024.

With one foot in Europe the the other in the Arab-African region, DOX BOX values and enhances diversity skills, perspectives, growth, and exclusivity in the documentary field.

2014-2024 Mission

DOX BOX e.V. was established in Berlin in 2014 by a group of eight international founding members and transitioned from a film festival in Syria to a support organisation for the arabic-speaking regional documentary film community. The support programs are tailored to prioritize makers taking up brave and daring approaches in filmmaking to promote justice, human rights, dignity and equality – or, to expose violations of such.

DOX BOX core objectives:

Rebuilding an active and independent community of filmmakers based on mutual solidarity and trust,
Empowering the community through various avenues of networking and support, including completion and promotion of films
Celebrating and acknowledging the community's achievements both on regional and international levels

To insure inclusion and diversity, the following has been applied since establishment:

Support schemes and content on DOX BOX online platform "The Community" offered in the region's most frequently spoken languages (Arabic, Kurdish, Tamazight, English and French) and free of charge to its users who reside in the 22 countries of the Arab region, regardless of their ethnicities or nationality, as well as for those originating from the region and residing in diasporas.
Applications to programs possible in different languages.
Selection committees consisting of a majority of representatives from different countries of the region with rotation to allow for diversity and inclusion.

DOX BOX History 2008 - 2023

Expanding DOX BOX support focus to the African region (2019 - 2023)

Under the leadership of Jihan El-Tahri, DOX BOX e.V. expanded its support focus to include some of the African region. As an exploration and focus built upon the legacy of DOX BOX to support the Arab World documentary ecosystem, the geographical perspective was guided by cultural harmony and thus included regions and people that are connected through their shared cultural practices, language and heritage in the Arab/African region and its diaspora.

During this period, the programs focused on strengthening and empowering directors, producers and editors, the emergence of a healthy documentary ecosystem and South-South exchange.

Establishing DOX BOX e.V. in Berlin in support of Arab-region documentary filmmakers (2014-2018)

Under the leadership of co-founder and executive director Diana El Jeiroudi, DOX BOX e.V. support programs were tailored to prioritize makers taking up brave and daring approaches in filmmaking to promote justice, human rights, dignity and equality – or, to expose violations of such.

DOX BOX was dedicated to offering support to emerging and established documentary filmmakers from the Arab World including its diaspora, and to make available content and programs that cater to the diversity of languages, backgrounds and experiences present in this community.

DOX BOX International Documentary Film Festival in Syria (2008 - 2012)

DOX BOX was founded as an annual international documentary film festival in Syria in 2008 by Proaction Film, a Syrian independent film company. The Festival quickly became the largest and most important documentary event in the region bringing the public back to the cinemas in record numbers.

Due to the political and economic situation in Syria, the festival was held back in 2012. In response, the team created DOX BOX Global Day for Syria, a worldwide event meant to speak in direct opposition to the violations of human rights and the unjustified and excessive use of power against Syrian civilians and activists by Syrian authorities. DOX BOX Global Day took place on the very same day of the anniversary of the final closing ceremony of the 2011 festival edition. The Global Day was made possible with the collaboration and partnership of international documentary and human rights film festivals in 38 cities around the globe.