CPH:DOX announces competition lineup packed with world premieres

CPH:DOX, Copenhagen’s prestigious documentary film festival, has announced a competition program across six categories featuring 47 world premieres.

The event, which has emerged as a rival to the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as the world’s largest and most important documentary festival, will take place from March 13 to 24 in the Danish capital. The DOX:AWARD lineup – all world premieres – includes films from the US, Canada, the Nordics and many other parts of Europe, including France, Ireland and the UK. Scroll for the lineups in all six competition branches.

“We are delighted to present this year’s competition films, which span from global geopolitics to intimate existential inquiries,” noted Niklas Engström, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX. “What unites these films is their ambition to engage with the world in a meaningful way. This year’s competition sharpens its focus on the most pressing issues of our time, from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to gang violence in Sweden, exploring themes of identity politics, colonialism, and the foundational struggles for democracy and anti-democracy.” Climate Change. These films offer new perspectives, challenge aesthetic boundaries, and delve into issues we thought we understood. We are thrilled to unveil this program that promises to enlighten and inspire.

21^street The CPH:DOX edition features the addition of a new competition category: HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD, created by the Festival and the Human Rights Institute on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “This new award underscores the continuing importance of human rights in difficult times,” the festival said.

Mads K. Mikkelsen, Senior Programmer at CPH:DOX, added: “In an era that demands solidarity with courageous filmmakers who stand up for equality and justice around the world, we have established the HUMAN: RIGHTS Prize. This year, we are nominating 10 exceptional films that highlight pressing global issues, reflecting our commitment to promoting a deeper understanding of human rights.

In addition to the great prestige, the winners of the competition will receive financial prizes: DOX:AWARD, sponsored by DR, is offering 10,000 euros. The NEW: VISION prize, worth €5,000, “delves into artistic films and experiences that push boundaries.” The NEXT:WAVE Prize, also worth €5,000, highlights emerging filmmakers. The NORDIC:DOX Award, another €5,000 award, “highlights exceptional films from the Nordic region.” The F:ACT Prize, supported by International Media Support and the Danish Federation of Journalists, is also worth €5,000 and “celebrates the field between documentary and in-depth journalism.” The newly introduced Human Rights Prize, sponsored by the Institute for Human Rights, is also worth €5,000.

“Last but not least,” comments the festival, “the Audience Award, worth €5,000, enables festival-goers to vote for their favorite film, further enriching CPH:DOX’s commitment to engaging its audiences across a wide range of documentaries. Excellence in filmmaking.”

“Together, these categories celebrate the diverse landscape of the documentary genre and the festival’s inclusive spirit, providing a platform for stories that resonate on a personal and global level.”

The full lineup for CPH:DOX, including films that will be screened out of competition, will be announced on February 21. Some of the competition titles are international premieres, incl Battle of Laikipia, union, powerAnd Satan’s kingdomwhich held its world premiere last month at Sundance. Black Box Diariesdirected by Shiori Ito, will premiere in Europe.

Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated producer Sigrid Dékjær (Region, the cave) Participates in two world premieres at CPH:DOX: Democracy Noirdirected by Connie Field (in the FACT:AWARD section), and Silent treesdirected by Agnieszka Zwiefka (in the Human Rights Prize section).

Here is the full list of competing films:

Dox:Prize:

Palomania (Cécile Muriel Darges, Denmark/Spain, World Premiere)

Black Garden (Alexis Bazoumian, France/Belgium, world premiere)

E.1027 – Eileen Gray and the house before The Sea (Beatrice Menger, co-director Christoph Schwab, Switzerland, world premiere)

Apartments (Alessandra Silesia, France/UK/Ireland/Belgium, world premiere) The Immortals (Maya Tsushume, Switzerland/Iraq, world premiere)

Life and other problems (Max Kestner, Denmark/Sweden/UK, World Premiere) Motherboard (Victoria Maplebeck, UK, World Premiere)

Night of nights (Truman, USA, world premiere)

Once upon a time in the woods (Verpi Suutari, Finland, world premiere)

Ghosts of the Sierra Madre (Havard Postnes, Norway/Finland/USA/Mexico, world premiere)

Two strangers trying not to kill each other (Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter, UK, world premiere)

Wilfred Buck (Lisa Jackson, Canada, world premiere)

New: Vision Award

Protective listening (Hala Satz, UK/Finland, European premiere)

Otto (Sandra Ignani, Canada/France/Italy, world premiere)

My desire for you to share with me (Penny Wagner and Sasha Litvintseva, UK/Netherlands, world premiere)

Familiar phantom (Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind, UK/Palestine, World Premiere)

And still, still (Arwa Aburoa, Turab Shah, Algeria/UK, World Premiere)

Look on the bright side (Yueyan Wang, France/Italy, international premiere)

Diesel dreams (Max Göran, Sweden, world premiere)

Musical garbage (Loretta Farnholz, Germany, World Premiere) Two Suns (SUPERFLEX, Denmark, World Premiere)

You, mom, mama (Laure Provost, Belgium/France/Austria, world premiere)

Lichens are the way (Ondrej Vavrika, Czech Republic/Slovakia, world premiere)

Single file (Simon Liu, Italy/USA/UK/Hong Kong, world premiere)

A quiet night (Philip Schaefer and Jonathan Schaller, Germany/Palestine/Israel, world premiere)

Nature’s efforts (Morgan Quaintance, UK, international premiere)

There is no exorcism movie (Komtouch Napattaloong, Thailand, world premiere) F:ACT Award

Battle of Laikipia (Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Moremi, Kenya/USA, International Premiere)

Black ice (Alaina Simone, USA, World Premiere)

I can’t feel anything (David Bornstein, Denmark/China/Russia/North Macedonia/USA, World

the first show)

Daughter of Genghis (Christopher Joel Poulsen, Christian Als, Denmark, World Premiere)

Democracy Noir (Coney Field, USA, Germany/Denmark, world premiere)

Lie to me (Bar Terme, Norway, international premiere)

Europe’s borders (Apollina Rychlikova, Czech Republic/Slovakia/France, world premiere)

Coyote night (Clara Treichler, Germany/Austria, world premiere)

Stray bodies (Elena Psikou, Greece/Switzerland/Italy/Bulgaria, international premiere)

union (Steven Mange, Brett Story, USA, World Premiere)

Next: The Wave Award

Appearance of (Nicholas Onischuk, Argentina, international premiere)

Al-Qaeda (Vadim Doumich, France, international premiere)

Raspberry dreams (Elena Mikabridze, Georgia/France/Belgium, world premiere)

Death of a saint (Patricia Bpal Bandak, Denmark, world premiere)

Eros (Rachel Daisy Ellis, Brazil, international premiere)

G – 21 Scene from Gotsunda (Laurent Paty, Denmark/Sweden, world premiere) Grand Me (Atieh Zare Arandi, Belgium/Iran, world premiere)

People are invisible (Alyssa Berger, France/Germany, world premiere)

Kix (Balint Refish and David Mikulan, France/Croatia/Hungary, world premiere)

My first movie (Diaa Anger, USA, world premiere)

The nights still smell of gunpowder (Enadelso Cosa, France/Netherlands/Mozambique/Norway/Portugal/Germany, international premiere)

Satan’s kingdom (Scott Cummings, USA, International Premiere)

Sting like a bee (Leone Baldozzi, Italy, international premiere)

To be extra (Henrik Mayer, Germany, world premiere)

North: Dux Award

G – 21 Scene from Gotsunda (Laurent Paty, Denmark/Sweden, world premiere)

Hard to break (Anna-Maia Heinonen and Krista Moisiu, Finland, international premiere)

The work of pain and joy (Karolina Grundahl, Finland, world premiere)

Life and other problems (Max Kestner, Denmark/Sweden/UK, world premiere)

Mina and the Radio Bandits (Carrie-Anne Moe, Norway, world premiere)

Once upon a time in the woods (Verpi Suutari, Finland, world premiere)

Our father wears the sun (Jasper Spahning, Rosalind Minster, Denmark, world premiere)

Ghosts of the Sierra Madre (Havard Postnes, Norway/Finland/USA/Mexico, world premiere)

A place in the sun (Mit Carla Albrechtsen, Denmark, World Premiere) The Son and the Moon (Roja Bakari, Denmark/Iran, World Premiere)

Human: Rights Award

Black Box Diaries (Shiori Ito, Japan/UK/USA, European premiere)

I will not hate (Tel Barda, Canada/France, world premiere)

Europe’s borders (Apollina Rychlikova, Czech Republic/Slovakia/France, world premiere)

March in the dark (Kinchuk Surjan, Belgium/Netherlands/India, World Premiere)

Madiha (Hassan Oswald, USA, International Premiere)

A poem for little people (Ivan Sotkin, Lithuania/UK/Ukraine, international premiere)

power (Jance Ford, USA, International Premiere)

recovery channel (Ellen Ogelstad, Norway, international premiere)

Silent trees (Agnieszka Zwiwka, Denmark/Poland/Germany, world premiere)

The sky over Zenica (Zlatko Branić and Nana Frank Müller, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Denmark, world premiere)