Deckert Distribution

Overview

Deckert Distribution is a Leipzig-based world sales company representing director-led documentaries with political, social, and human rights focus. The company sells films to broadcasters, theatrical distributors, and streaming platforms worldwide. If you have a completed political or social documentary with festival credentials and are seeking international sales representation from a company with deep expertise in the European public broadcaster market, Deckert is a selective but realistic target.

Founder and managing director Heino Deckert received the 2025 Docs d'Honor Award at the 28th Docs Barcelona festival, recognizing his career as one of the most prolific producers and sales agents in the documentary field. The festival screened two of his films as part of the tribute: the Oscar-nominated Rabbit a la Berlin by Bartosz Konopka and Heimat is a Space in Time by Thomas Heise, who passed away in 2024.

Deckert Distribution is headquartered at Gottschedstrasse 18 in Leipzig, with sales managed by Liselot Verbrugge. The company can be reached at +49 (0)341 215 66 38 or info@deckert-distribution.com.

Company History

Heino Deckert studied at the German Film and Television Academy (dffb) in Berlin in the 1980s, where he worked in experimental and short films rather than documentaries. His background in law led colleagues to convince him to take on producing roles. In 1995, together with five colleagues from an EAVE training program class, he set up d-net to sell the films they were producing. Deckert took sole responsibility for the sales operation in 2003 and renamed it Deckert Distribution.

Alongside the sales company, Deckert founded ma.je.de. Filmproduktions, a production company that has produced over 100 documentaries. In 2005, he founded ma.ja.de. fiction to work with documentary directors crossing into feature films. The first project under this label was Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth's Khadak (2006), which won the Lion of the Future for best feature debut at Venice. Their second feature Altiplano premiered at Semaine de la Critique in Cannes 2009.

Catalog and Key Filmmaker Relationships

Deckert Distribution's catalog is built around long-term relationships with specific directors rather than broad acquisition. The company represents most documentaries by Sergei Loznitsa, including The Trial and State Funeral. Its working relationship with Victor Kossakovsky spans multiple films: Vivan las Antipodas! (Venice 2011 opening film), Aquarela (Venice 2018, acquired by Sony Pictures Classics), and Architecton (2024).

The late Thomas Heise, whom Deckert described as "the most important documentary filmmaker Germany has ever produced," is represented in the catalog by Heimat is a Space in Time (Berlinale Forum 2019, winner of the Caligari Prize). Deckert has stated this is the film he is most proud of: "When this film is shown even in 50 years time, people will understand the whole of the 20th Century when they watch it."

Other catalog highlights include Honeyland (Oscar-nominated, sold to over 20 territories), Rabbit a la Berlin (Oscar-nominated, 2010), Song From the Forest by Michael Obert (IDFA 2013 international competition winner), Miners Shot Down (Emmy Award winner, 2015), The 3 Rooms of Melancholia by Pirjo Honkasalo, and Merry Christmas, Yiwu. The company also handled sales on To the Moon by Tadhg O'Sullivan (Telluride/Venice Days selection) and Molecules by Andrea Segre (Venice Biennale pre-opening film).

Recent fiction productions include The Universal Theory (2023) by Timm Kroger, which won the Bisato d'Oro Best Film award at Venice.

DOK Leipzig Connection

Deckert Distribution's Leipzig base connects it directly to DOK Leipzig, one of Europe's most important documentary and animated film festivals, which takes place each autumn. The festival's programming focus on politically engaged and formally adventurous documentary aligns closely with Deckert's catalog identity. For documentary filmmakers premiering at DOK Leipzig, Deckert is a primary international sales representation conversation.

The company's physical proximity to the festival gives it direct access to the films most likely to fit its representation identity. However, Deckert also acquires at IDFA, Berlinale, Cannes, Venice, and Hot Docs. The company takes a limited number of new films per year, maintaining a focused catalog rather than volume acquisitions.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Deckert is a selective representation target for documentary filmmakers whose work engages political, human rights, or social justice subjects with investigative rigor and cinematic ambition. The company's focused political identity makes it a more effective advocate for politically engaged documentary in the European public broadcaster market than larger, more generalist sales companies.

The company's strength lies in relationships with European public broadcasters whose documentary programming has a current affairs and social engagement mandate, including ARTE, ZDF, NDR, and equivalents in other European public broadcasting systems. For documentary filmmakers from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet space, and conflict zones, Deckert's specific expertise in politically engaged cinema from these regions provides sales representation with genuine cultural and political fluency.

Deckert's catalog is intentionally small and curated. Filmmakers should expect a selective acquisition process where the company evaluates not just the film's quality but its relevance to the specific buyer relationships Deckert maintains. The company does not represent volume documentary output; it represents films it is "convinced of their high quality and their high relevance."

For documentary filmmakers approaching Deckert, the most effective pathway is through festival premieres at DOK Leipzig, IDFA, Berlinale, or Hot Docs. Direct submissions are possible via email, but the company's selectivity means a festival premiere or sales agent introduction significantly increases the likelihood of a response.

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See Also

For how political documentary finds international broadcaster and theatrical distribution, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For DOK Leipzig's role as a platform for politically engaged documentary, see the Film Festivals Directory. To model revenue from international documentary sales across territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For comparable documentary-focused sales companies, see Autlook Filmsales in this directory.