From 1964 onward it is not only the Club der Filmschaffenden der DDR that organises the film week, but also the director of the Deutscher Fernsehfunk, Heinz Adamek, and the GDR Minister for Culture.
Under the leadership of festival director Wolfgang Harkenthal, who replaces Walter Kernicke, a retrospective of Robert Flaherty is held, incorporating eleven films from 1920-1948. A second retrospective is dedicated to 47 DEFA documentaries from the years 1946 to 1963.
The greater recognition being gained by the festival from both press and public is reflected in the attendance of the "greats" of the industry in Leipzig, including Stanley Forman, Paul Rotha and Edgar Anstey.
A struggle for programme slots emerges between DEFA and GDR television programmes, with the consequence that the festival also receives more funding. Six Golden and eight Silver Doves are awarded to the filmmakers. From now on the Golden Dove is also the main prize. And a new award is introduced: The Egon-Erwin Kirsch Prize is now to be presented by the OIRT (Organisation Internationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision) in Leipzig and no longer in Moscow. The theme of the Free Forum is "The Documentary Film in the conflict between cinema and television".
Golden Doves
BAGNOLO – DORF ZWISCHEN ROT UND SCHWARZ (FRG, Bruno Jori)
KATJUSA (USSR, Viktor Lissakovič)
VASKA (WASKA, Bulgaria, Borislav Šaraliev)
CICLON (ZYKLON, Cuba, Santiago Alvarez)
CORPS PROFOND (IN DEN TIEFEN DES MENSCHLICHEN KÖRPERS, France, Igor Barrére and Etienne Lalou)
PROBLEM (DAS PROBLEM, CSSR, Jan Dudesek)
Silver Doves
HAPPY MOTHER´S DAY, MRS. FISHER! (GLÜCKLICHEN MUTTERTAG, MRS. FISHER!, USA, Richard Leacock)
MARILE EMOTII MICI SAN MICILE EMOTII MARI (DAS GROSSE LAMPENFIEBER, Rumania, Doru Segall)
POWSZEDNI DZIEŃ GESTAPOWCA SCHMIDTA (DER ALLTAG DES GESTAPOMANNES SCHMIDT, Poland, Jerzy Ziarnik)
DIE MACHT DES SCHICKSALS (GDR, Harry Hornig)
RUDARI - HLEB SA DEVET KORA (BERGLEUTE - BROT MIT NEUN KRUSTEN, Yugoslavia, Ota Denes)
FOUR GLORIOUS DAYS (VIER GLORREICHE TAGE, Vietnam, Salah El Tohamy)
PORTRET CHIRURGA (PORTRAIT EINES CHIRURGEN, USSR, N. Ratsov)
SALUT LES CUBAINS (GRÜSSE DEN CUBANERN, France, Agnès Varda)
Special prize by the International Jury
MEN IN SILENCE (MENSCHEN IM SCHWEIGEN, GB, Leopoldo Maler)