DokLab
DokLab is a Bern-based Swiss documentary film production company (GmbH, est. 2006) producing cinema and television documentaries on geopolitical, social, and cultural topics, financed via institutional grants and broadcaster co-productions and distributed through festivals, public broadcasters, and streaming platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What DokLab does
DokLab GmbH is a Swiss documentary film production company headquartered in Bern, founded in 2006 by Urs Schnell and Dodo Hunziker. The company specializes in producing cinema documentaries and television documentaries on geopolitical, social, and cultural topics, with a portfolio spanning from BOTTLED LIFE (2012) — on the bottled water industry and adopted into German school curricula — through TIBETAN WARRIOR (2015, distributed by Netflix in 8 languages), to recent works including OSTROV (2021, HotDocs Best International Feature Award and Swiss Film Prize winner) and DOM (2024, Swiss Film Award 2026 Best Documentary nominee).
The business model is a film-by-film financing and distribution stack typical of European public-broadcasting documentary economics. Each project is funded through a combination of institutional film grants (Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Bern Film Fund, Cinéforom, Swisslos, Burgergemeinde Bern), broadcaster co-productions (SRF, RTS, ZDF/arte), and production partner contributions (Instant Film Sàrl, Mayak Film, Indi Film, Widerspruch GmbH, Navigator Film). Distribution is monetized through theatrical cinema releases in Switzerland, television licensing to public broadcasters, streaming platform deals (Playsuisse, Vimeo on Demand, myfilm.ch), and international world sales via agents such as Taskovski Films and Rushlake Media.
Operations are run by a small core team of 3 staff — Producer/Owner Corinna Dästner (who assumed ownership in July 2024), Production Assistant Rahel Hunziker, and Production Intern Hannah Gasser — with founding partners Dodo Hunziker and Urs Schnell continuing as filmmakers. Dästner sits on the Swiss Federal Office of Culture film commission, the Bern Film board, the Swiss Film Academy, and the European Film Academy, providing institutional access that materially supports the grant and co-production pipeline. Current production pipeline includes GAGAUZIYA, THE SOUND OF THE ALPS, MAKHMUR, and OUR VOICES in various stages of development through 2027.
DokLab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DokLab
- Legal name
- DokLab GmbH
- Website
- https://doklab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DokLab is a Bern-based Swiss documentary film production company (GmbH, est. 2006) producing cinema and television documentaries on geopolitical, social, and cultural topics, financed via institutional grants and broadcaster co-productions and distributed through festivals, public broadcasters, and streaming platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DokLab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Documentary Film Production
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments) (MPADAAAA), International Sales & Licensing (Territory Pre-Sales) (MPADAJAC)
Keywords
Where DokLab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DokLab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Theatrical Film Distribution: Cinematic documentary releases distributed through Swiss and international cinema chains, with world premieres at film festivals driving visibility and sales.
- Television Broadcasting Rights: Co-productions and licensing deals with Swiss broadcasters (SRF, RTS) and international broadcasters (ZDF/arte) for television premiere rights.
- Streaming Platform Licensing: Digital distribution through streaming platforms such as Playsuisse, Vimeo on Demand, and myfilm.ch.
- Festival Sales and World Distribution: International sales through world sales agents like Taskovski Films for territories outside of Swiss distribution.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
DokLab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DokLab is a Swiss documentary film production company that develops, produces, and distributes original cinema documentaries and television documentaries on geopolitical, social, and cultural subjects. The company finances productions through institutional film grants and television co-productions, then delivers completed films to theatrical cinemas, public broadcasters (SRF, RTS, ZDF/arte), streaming platforms (Playsuisse, Vimeo on Demand, myfilm.ch), and international film festivals. The portfolio spans short films and feature-length documentaries sold globally through world sales agents.
Product overview
DokLab is a documentary film production company (DokLab GmbH) founded in 2006, producing theatrical cinema documentaries, television documentaries, and short films. The company's portfolio spans geopolitical, social, and cultural topics including films such as OSTROV (Lost Island), which won Hot Docs and the Swiss Film Prize; TIBETAN WARRIOR distributed by Netflix; BOTTLED LIFE featured in German schoolbooks; and DOM, nominated for the Swiss Film Award 2026. DokLab produces for theatrical release, television broadcast (SRF, RTS, ZDF/arte), and streaming platforms (Playsuisse). Current productions include GAGAUZIYA, THE SOUND OF THE ALPS, MAKHMUR, and OUR VOICES.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ETERNAL SNOW (EWIGES EIS) A 90-minute cinema documentary following two Tamang brothers in Nepal's Khumbu Valley with different relationships to the mountains: one working as a porter aspiring to become a guide, the other a Buddhist monk praying for his brother's safe ascent. Released in 2026.
- BETWEEN SUMMERS (ZWEI SOMMER IN DER BADI) An extended television documentary version of BADI following adolescents through two summers at a Swiss outdoor pool, exploring youth, change, and the demolition of the orange slide. Broadcast on SRF in 2026.
- BADI A documentary short film following six teenagers at a Swiss public swimming pool over two summers, exploring adolescence and change. World-premiered in 2025.
- DOM A documentary about young Russian opposition activists in exile in Georgia, living as digital dissidents in search of a new home. Co-directed by Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop. Won Hot Docs Best International Feature Award, Swiss Film Prize, and was nominated for the Swiss Film Award 2026 in the Best Documentary category. Released 2024/2025.
- TOUXTES A television documentary about activists from the ELM collective in Geneva fighting against harassment and sexual violence in Swiss society. Released 2024.
- JESUS GOES TO HOLLYWOOD A television documentary exploring how each generation needs its own Jesus, examining film legacy about the historical figure with Matera, Italy as backdrop. Co-produced with Studio.TV.Film and broadcast on SRF and ZDF/arte. Released 2024.
- URBAN GENESIS A documentary following Ethiopian farmers and international architects working together to address rural exodus through a sustainable model city. Available in both 96-minute cinema and 53-minute television versions. Released 2022.
Quantifiable outcome
- OSTROV won HotDocs Best International Feature Award and Swiss Film Prize
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DokLab
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DokLab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DokLab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Instant Film SàrlcoreSwiss production company that co-produced OSTROV - Die verlorene Insel with DokLab.
- SRF RTScoreSwiss Radio and Television as co-producer and broadcaster partner for documentary films including OSTROV.
- Taskovski FilmscoreWorld sales agent handling international distribution of OSTROV - Lost Island outside of Swiss territory.
- Rushlake Media GmbHmajorGerman production company handling distribution of URBAN GENESIS in German-speaking territories.
- Mayak FilmcoreProduction company of Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop, frequent collaborators on documentary projects including DOM and TOUXTES.
- Indi FilmmajorGerman production company that co-produced BODY OF TRUTH with DokLab.
- Widerspruch GmbHmajorSwiss production company co-producing MAKHMUR documentary with DokLab.
- Royal FilmmajorSwiss film distributor handling theatrical distribution of URBAN GENESIS.
- Studio.TV.FilmminorProduction studio partner for JESUS GOES TO HOLLYWOOD documentary.
- sounding imagesminorProduction company co-producing THE SOUND OF THE ALPS documentary.
- Mizzi Stock EntertainmentminorProduction company co-producing THE SOUND OF THE ALPS documentary.
- Navigator FilmminorAustrian production company co-producing THE SOUND OF THE ALPS documentary.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DokLab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rise and Shine World Sales: Berlin-based international documentary sales and distribution company handling arthouse documentaries. Comparable to DokLab's distribution model, representing comparable filmmakers for international territories.
- Cat&Docs: International documentary sales and distribution company handling catalog sales for arthouse documentaries. Comparable to DokLab's relationship with Taskovski Films as a world sales agent for documentary producers seeking international distribution.
- Wide House: Paris-based international documentary distribution company specializing in arthouse and festival documentaries. Comparable to DokLab's international sales channel model, representing similar documentary producers.
- Lightdox: Geneva-based documentary distribution company specializing in festival-circuit arthouse films. Comparable as a documentary sales/distribution counterpart serving the same niche as DokLab's productions.
- Autlook Filmsales: Vienna-based international documentary and fiction sales company. Comparable world sales counterpart for European festival documentaries, representing similar geopolitical and social documentary content.
- First Hand Films: Zurich-based international documentary sales company representing arthouse documentaries for global distribution. Comparable to DokLab's world sales agent Taskovski Films and serves similar festival-focused documentary producers.
- Maximage Filmproduktion: Swiss documentary and feature film production company based in Zurich, producing independent cinema including documentaries for international festival circuits. Closely comparable as a similarly-sized Swiss production house with international co-production footprint.
- Taskovski Films: International documentary sales agent that already represents DokLab's OSTROV internationally. Comparable as a documentary world sales company handling festival documentaries for international distribution, with overlapping producer relationships.
- Cinephil (formerly Films Transit International): Tel Aviv-based documentary sales agent handling international distribution for documentary producers. Comparable to DokLab's world sales partnership model, representing arthouse documentaries for international festivals and broadcasters.
- Mira Film: Swiss documentary production company based in Zurich with a strong track record at international festivals and ongoing relationships with SRF and ZDF/arte. Directly comparable as a peer Swiss documentary producer with similar broadcaster co-financing model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DokLab social profiles
Digital presenceDokLab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DokLab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
DokLab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DokLab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DokLab
What does DokLab do?
DokLab is a Swiss documentary film production company that develops, produces, and distributes original cinema documentaries and television documentaries on geopolitical, social, and cultural subjects. The company finances productions through institutional film grants and television co-productions, then delivers completed films to theatrical cinemas, public broadcasters (SRF, RTS, ZDF/arte), streaming platforms (Playsuisse, Vimeo on Demand, myfilm.ch), and international film festivals. The portfolio spans short films and feature-length documentaries sold globally through world sales agents.
Is DokLab a public or private company?
DokLab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was DokLab founded?
DokLab was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DokLab based?
DokLab is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does DokLab make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Theatrical Film Distribution is the primary driver. The others are television Broadcasting Rights, streaming Platform Licensing and festival Sales and World Distribution.
Who are DokLab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rise and Shine World Sales, Cat&Docs, Wide House, Lightdox, Autlook Filmsales, First Hand Films, Maximage Filmproduktion, Taskovski Films, Cinephil (formerly Films Transit International) and Mira Film.
Does DokLab have an API?
No public API is recorded for DokLab.
What industry is DokLab in?
DokLab's product category is Documentary Film Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADABAD, Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production, with a secondary code of MPADAAAA, Development & Packaging (IP Sourcing, Script, Attachments). Its NAICS code is 51211 and its SIC code is 7812.