... born in Hamburg in 1964, studied photography at the HfbK Hamburg and documentary film directing at the HFF Munich. He is the author, director, and cinematographer of numerous award-winning documentary films. From 2002 to 2009, Daniel Sponsel was an artistic-scientific assistant at the HFF Munich. At the university, he was active both in teaching and in various university policy committees such as the senate, university management, and appointment procedures. As a lecturer, he has regularly taught at various institutes and universities since 2002, including the ZHDK in Zurich, the Zelig in Bolzano, HFF Munich, Drehbuchwerkstatt Munich, and the Teacher Academy in Dillingen.
Daniel Sponsel publishes his own works and contributes articles to various anthologies. His most recent publication was the article AUFKLÄRUNG UND AGENDA (Enlightenment and Agenda), which appeared in FILMDIENST in 2024. Daniel Sponsel has a wide network of contacts in the film industry throughout Germany and internationally and has been a member of various selection and funding committees. He is currently a member of the board of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dokumentarfilm (AG DOK) and deputy chairman of the AG Filmfestival.
He has been director of the Munich International Documentary Film Festival since 2009. He expanded it to include the industry platform DOK.forum and the section for film education and media literacy, DOK.education. With steadily increasing audience numbers, DOK.fest Munich has developed into the largest documentary film festival in Germany and is one of the most important festivals for documentary film in Europe.
Since October 1, 2025, he has been the full-time president of the HFF Munich and successor to Prof. Bettina Reitz, who previously held the position for 10 years.