CPH:DOX 2025

Last updated
CPH:DOX 2025
Opening filmFacing War
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
Founded2003
AwardsDOX:AWARD: Always
Festival date19–30 March 2025
Website cphdox.dk
CPH:DOX
2026
2024

The 22nd Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX 2025 took place from 19 to 30 March 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. [1] The festival is held annually to highlight non-fiction filmmaking from countries all over the world.

Contents

The festival opened with Tommy Gulliksen's Facing War, which follows the final years of Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of NATO and the organization's role in the Russo-Ukrainian War. [2] The main competition award went to Always by Deming Chen. A co-production between China, United States and France, it follows an eight-year old boy from Hunan, who discovers poetry as a way to make sense of the world. [3]

Juries

The jury members were as follows: [4]

DOX:AWARD

NEXT:WAVE

NEW:VISION

F:ACT

HUMAN:RIGHTS

NORDIC:DOX

Competitions

The films selected for each section are as follows: [5] [6]

DOX:AWARD

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
À Demain sur la LuneThomas BalmèsFrance
Agatha's Almanac Amalie Atkins Canada
Always从来Deming ChenUnited States, France, China
Balane 3Ico CostaPortugal, France
Facing War(opening film)Tommy GulliksenNorway, Belgium
Flophouse AmericaMonica StrømdahlNorway, Netherlands, United States
My Dear Théo Alisa Kovalenko Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine
Sanatorium Gar O'RourkeIreland, Ukraine, France
The CastleIl castello indistruttibileDanny Biancardi, Virginia Nardelli, Stefano La RosaFrance, Italy
The Father, the Song and the Holy SpiritFaderen, Sønnerne og HelligåndenChristian Sønderby JepsenDenmark
The Helsinki EffectArthur FranckFinland, Germany, Norway
We Live HereМы здесь живемZhanana KurmashevaKazakhstan

NEW:VISION

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Perishable IdolMajid Al-RemaihFrance, Kuwait, Qatar
All These SummersTherese HenningsenUnited Kingdom, Denmark
City ChildAustin LynchUnited States, Germany
Unstable RocksPedras InstáveisEwelina Rosinska, Nuno BarrosoGermany, Portugal
Available LightMorgan QuaintanceUnited Kingdom
Images de TunisieYounes Ben SlimaneUnited Kingdom, France, Tunisia
Green Grey Black BrownYuyan WangSouth Korea, France, China
Melted Into the SunSaodat IsmailovaUzbekistan, Italy, Portugal
IlliyeenEliyah Mesayer, Nanna RebekkaDenmark
SongbookMariah GarnettUnited States
Time ParadoxMinha ParkSouth Korea
Sinking Latitude下沉纬度Jiawei ZhengDenmark, China
SiticulosaMaeve BrennanUnited ingdom, Denmark
Fear FokolTuva BjörkSweden
Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018Juliette Le MonnyerBelgium
International Satan's DayRaed YassinLebanon
ScrapRebutNoémie LobryFrance

F:ACT AWARD

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
2000 Meters to Andriivka [a] Mstyslav Chernov Ukraine
Antidote James Jones United Kingdom
K-NumberSeyoung JoSouth Korea
Men of WarJen Gatien, Billy CorbenUnited States, Canada
Predators David Osit United States
The End of the InternetDylan ReiblingCanada
The EukrainianViktor NordenskiöldSweden, France, Ukraine, Belgium
The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy Håvard Bustnes Norway, Germant, United Kingdom
The Last AmbassadorDie letzte BotschafterinNatalie HallaAustria
The Perfect Neighbor Geeta Gandbhir United States

NORDIC:DOX

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
FighterSunniva Sundby, Mari Bakke RiiseNorway
If I Die TodayHvis jeg dør i dagCamilla ArlienDenmark
Lowlands KidsSandra WintherDenmark, United States
Portrait of a Confused FatherGunnar Hall JensenNorway
The Ground Beneath Our FeetJörðin undir fótum okkarYrsa Roca FannbergIceland, Poland
The Last Misfits by The Golden RiverAurinko laskee LemmenjoellaJuho-Pekka TanskanenFinland
The Nicest Men on EarthVerdens sødeste mændJosefine Exner, Sebastian GerdesDenmark
The Sequel to Summer RainUppföljaren till SommarregnViktor JohanssonSweden
Walls – Akinni Inuk Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg, Sofie Rørdam Greenland
WitchHeksEmil Nørgaard MunkDenmark
Zlatan's NoseZlatans näsaNils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg, Olle ToftenowSweden

HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
9-Month Contractცხრათვიანი კონტრაქტიKetevan VashagashviliGeorgia, Bulgaria, Germany
Black WaterNatxo LeuzaSpain
Girls & GodsArash T. Riahi, Verena SoltizAustria
Little SyriaMadalina Rosca, Reem KarssliPortugal, Romania, Germany
MatabelelandNyasha KadandaraZimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana
Moria SixJennifer MallmannGermany
The Dialogue PoliceDialogpolisenSusanna EdwardsSweden
The Encampments Michael T. Workman, Kei PritskerUnited States
The Lions by the River TigrisLøvene ved elven TigrisZaradasht AhmedNorway, Netherlands

NEXT:WAVE AWARD

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
50 MetersYomna KhattabEgypt, Denmark, Saudi Arabia
Abode of DawnSonnenstadtKristina ShtubertGermany
CopanCarine WallauerBrazil, France
Fantastic FamilyEn fantastisk familieNicoline SkotteDenmark
I Am Night at NoondayJe suis la nuit en plein midiGaspard HirschiFrance
ILOVERUSSTova MozardSweden
Latina, LatinaAdrian DuncanIreland
Open CallSille StorihleNorway
Red ForestForêt RougeLaurie LassalleFrance
The Golden SpurtleConstantine CostiUnited Kingdom, Australia
UnanimalSally Jacobson, Tuva BjorkSweden, France
Who Witnessed the Temples FallQuién vio los templosLucía SelvaSpain

INTER:ACTIVE AWARD

A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
English TitleOriginal TitleFormatDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
AggregateVideogameDistractionFrance
ConstantinopoliadInstallationSister Sylvester, Nadah El ShazlyUnited Kingdom
Girlfriend ExperienceInteractive Video InstallationUgo ArsacFrance
Huk, the JaguaressHuk, la JaguaresaInteractive Installation Violeta Ayala Australia, Canada, Bolivia
Natural ContactsInteractive InstallationMark Fingerhut, Matthew D Gantt, Bridget DeFranco, Peter BurrUnited States
Songs of TravelMobile GameBen Wahl, Lisley Viraphong, Jack GutmannAustria
TarangExpanded FilmKinnari SaraiyaUnited Kingdom
The AlluvialsGameAlice BucknellUnited Kingdom
The Caring MachineAI ArtCecilie Waagner FalkenstrømDenmark
The Forest That Breathes UsVirtual Reality Jennifer Abbott Canada
Truth Bears No Scandalالـواضِح مو فـاضِحVideo Installation Ahmed Umar Norway
The Garden Says...XR PerformanceUri Kranot, Michelle Kranot, Sara Topsøe Jensen, Sarah John, Marieke BreyneDenmark

Sections

The films selected for each section are as follows: [5] [6]

Special Premieres

The following section consists of exclusive premieres screening out of competition.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Animality Ai Weiwei Germany
AzzaStefanie BrockhausGermany, Saudi Arabia
CasaLa CasaCaroline BenarroshFrance
Everest DarkJereme WattCanada
FissionSpaltungJoão Pedro Prado, Anton YaremchukGermany
Forever We Are Young Grace Lee, Patty AhnUnited States, South Korea
How Deep is Your LoveEleanor MortimerUnited Kingdom
It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley Amy Berg United States
Lost for WordsHannah Papacek HarperFrance, United Kingdom
Observer Ian Cheney United States
You Need ThisRyan Andrej LoughUnited States

Highlights

The following section consists of films already screened at festivals and other acclaimed films.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
A Family Une famille Christine Angot France
A Sister's TaleLeila AminiSwitzerland, France, Iran
About a HeroPiotr WiniewiczDenmark
Ai WeiWei's TurandotMaxim DereviankoItaly, United States
Blue Road - The Edna O'Brien StorySinéad O'SheaIreland, United Kingdom
Coexistence, My Ass! Amber Fares United States, France
Dear TomorrowKaspar Astrup SchröderDenmark, Sweden, Japan
How to Build a Library Maia Lekow, Christopher KingKenya
Letters from Wolf StreetListy z WilczejArjun TalwarPoland, Germany
Mistress Dispeller Elizabeth Lo China, United States
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature Miyazaki, l’esprit de la natureLeo FavierFrance
Mr. Nobody Against Putin Pavel Talankin, David BorensteinDenmark, Czech Republic
Only on Earth Robin PetréDenmark, Spain
Paul Denis Côté Canada
RealAdele TulliItaly
SeedsBrittany ShyneUnited States
TataLina Vdovii, Radu CiorniciucRomania, Germany, Netherlands
The Brink of Dreams Rafaat Einy Ll SamaNada Riyadh, Ayman El AmirEgypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
The Dating Game Violet Du FengUnited States, United Kingdom, Norway
The Hobby: Tales from the TabletopSimon EnnisCanada, United States
The Secret of MeGrace Hughes-HallettUnited Kingdom, United States
The ShardsMasha ChernayaGeorgia, Germany
The Typewriter and Other HeadachesLa machine a ecrire Nicolas Philibert France
Trans MemoriaVictoria VerseauSweden, France
Truth or Dare Maja Classen Germany
Twiggy Sadie Frost United Kingdom
ViktorOlivier SarbilDenmark, Ukraine, France, United States
Where Dragons LiveSuzanne RaesNetherlands, United Kingdom
Wishing on a Star Peter Kerekes Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia
Zodiac Killer Project Charlie Shackleton United Kingdom, United States

Artists & Auteurs

The following section consists of new films from "some of the world's most original artists and filmmakers".

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Afternoons of Solitude Tardes de soledad Albert Serra Spain, France, Portugal
Bogancloch Ben Rivers United Kingdom, Germany, Iceland
Collective MonologueMonólogo colectivoJessica Sarah RinlandArgentina, United Kingdom
ElementaryApprendre Claire Simon France
W.O.M.B. (Worth of My Body)Julienne DokoDenmark
4.48 DysphoriaNoah HoltegaardDenmark
MovementBenjamin MuasyaDenmark
They Know We Know They LieIsabella Solar Villaseca, Lou MouwSweden, Denmark
I Am EverythingJeppe LangeDenmark
It's Not Me Cést pas moi Leos Carax France
The Residents: Barking in the Dark Marie Losier France
Primitive Diversity Alexander Kluge Germany
Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)CensorshipGörünür Görünmez: Bir (Oto)Sansür AntolojisiFirat Yucel, Erhan Örs, Sibil Çekmen, Serra Akcan, Nadir Sönmez, Hakan Bozyurt, Can Memiş, Belit SağNetherlands, Turkey
Silent ObserversТихи НаблюдателиEliza PetkovaBulgaria, Germany
The BanRoisin AgnewIreland, United Kingdom
The Diary of a Sky Lawrence Abu Hamdan Lebanon
The More Naked We Dare to BeJon Bang CarlsenDenmark
Youth (Hard Times) 青春:苦 Wang Bing France, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Youth (Homecoming) 青春:归 Wang Bing France, Netherlands, Luxembourg

PARA:FICTIONS

The following section consists of films in the field between documentary and fiction.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
BluishLilith Kraxner, Milena CzernovskyAustria
Caught by the Tides 风流一代 Jia Zhangke China
Fire of WindFogo do VentoMarta MateusPortugal, Switzerland, France
Grand Tour Miguel Gomes Portugal, Italy, France
Holy Electricityწმინდა ელექტროენერგიაTato KotetishviliGeorgia, Netherlands
Kontinental '25 Radu Jude Romania
Mika Ex MachinaMika Tard, Deborah SaïagFrance
The Shipwrecked TriptychDas Schiffbruch-TriptychonDeniz ErogluGermany
The Wolves Always Come at Night Gabrielle Brady Australia, Mongolia, Germany
To a Land Unknown Mahdi Fleifel United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
When the Phone RangKada je zazvonio telefonIva RadivojevićSerbia, United States

Sound & Vision

The following section consists of films related to music.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
A Stranger in the WorldEin er ei eiga einingSturla PilskogNorway
Becoming MadonnaMichael OgdenUnited Kingdom, United States
Cosmic Balance Andreas Johnsen Denmark, Indonesia
Disco's Revenge Omar Majeed, Peter Mishara Canada
Elendig SoftwareFreja Rørkær, Oskar Langballe DahlDenmark
Ellis Park Justin Kurzel Australia, Indonesia, France
From Here Where We Stand - 80 Years with Niels SkousenHerfra hvor vi står – 80 år med Niels SkousenLinda WendelDenmark
Googoosh - Made of FireNiloufar TaghizadehGermany
LegacyManal MasriSweden, United States
Nobody's AngelEndeløse natTorben Skjødt JensenDenmark
Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys Sam Pollard, Jason PollardUnited States
One to One: John & Yoko Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-EdwardsUnited Kingdom
Pauline Black: A 2-Tone StoryJane MingayUnited Kingdom
Pavements Alex Ross Perry United States
RaveŁukasz Ronduda, Dawid NickelPoland
The Sound of Love LettersKærestebreve fra ThyTammes BernsteinDenmark
TV-2: Kys det satans liv Jesper Skaaning Denmark

Urgent Matters

The following section consists of films with topical, political and relevant themes.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Apocalypse in the Tropics Apocalipse nos Trópicos Petra Costa Brazil
Dream Without Mercy Waad Al-Kateab United Kingdom
From Ground Zero قصص غير محكية من غزة من المسافة صفرVarious directors [b] Palestine, France, Qatar, Jordan
Hacking Hate Simon Klose Sweden, Denmark, Norway
On the BorderGabriela Schild, Gerald Igor HauzenbergerAustria, Germany, Switzerland
Save Our SoulsJean-Baptiste BonnetFrance
Songs of Slow Burning EarthПісні землі, що повільно горитьOlha ZhurbaUkraine, Denmark, Sweden, France
Sudan, Remember Us السودان يا غالي Hind Meddeb France, Tunisia, Qatar
The Bibi Files Alexis Bloom United States
The Last Republican Steve Pink United States
The Tender RevolutionDie zärtliche RevolutionAnnelie BorosGermany
Writing HawaNajiba Noori, Rasul NooriFrance, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan

Backstory

The following section consists of films that trace back through history.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Bright FutureViitor LuminosAndra MacMastersRomania
Fiume o morte! Igor BezinovićCroatia, Italy, Slovenia
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 Göran Hugo Olsson Sweden, Finland, Denmark
My Sweet LandՏունս քաղցր աSareen HairabedianUnited States, Jordan, France, Ireland
Rule of Stone Danae Elon Canada, Israel
Scars of a PutschNathalie BorgersAustria, Belgium
The Helsinki EffectArthur FranckFinland, Germany, Norway
The White House Effect Pedro Kos, Jon Shenk, Bonni Cohen United States

Science

The following section consists of films exploring the encounter between cinema, science and society.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Climate in TherapyNathan GrossmanSweden, Norway
Dust & Flow: Muds, Movement, Time, ScaleRikke LutherIceland, Sweden, Denmark
I Think We Begin as LightJeg tror, vi starter som lysEmma Harris, Sille SkovgaardDenmark
Family FortunesMila TurajlićSerbia, United States
VictoriaSam SokoKenya, United States
A Robust HeartMartín BenchimolArgentina, United States
Public Pool Elizabeth Lo United States
GEN_ Gianluca Matarrese France, Italy, Switzerland
Human RaceSimon LecDenmark, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, United States
Hidrogen - Revolution or Illusion?Wasserstoff - Revolution oder Illusion?Andreas PichlerGermany, Italy, Norway
Lost Wolves of YellowstoneThomas WinstonUnited States
Memory WarsHendrik LöbbertGermany
SpacewomanHannah BerrymanUnited Kingdom
The Shadow ScholardEloise KingUnited Kingdom
Teenage Life InterruptedUten synlige tegnÅse Svenheim DrivenesNorway
Tracing LightThomas RiedelsheimerGermany, United Kingdom

DANISH:DOX

The following section consists of new Danish documentaries from both established and upcoming filmmakers.

English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production countrie(s)
Another WorldDen Anden VerdenSøren Peter Langkjær BojsenDenmark
BirthdaysFødselsdageAdrian JalilyDenmark
Cirkeline and the Invisible ArtistCirkeline & den usynlige tegnerEsther WellejusDenmark
Close to HomeShubhdeep Singh ParwanaDenmark, India
Europe EndlessEuropa EndlosThomas ElleyDenmark
The Garden CaretakerNatalia Anna Ciepiel, William Andreas WivelDenmark
The HouseMajaCarl OlssonEstonia, Sweden
In Search of the MiraculousSybilla TuxenDenmark
Love, ZAnna-Sofie Uth JunckerDenmark
The Ox RoadHærvejenJesper H. GrandDenmark
The Silence in My HeartTavsheden i mit hjerteLene KammDenmark
Take the Money and RunOle JunckerDenmark
WitchHeksEmil Nørgaard MunkDenmark

Awards

The following awards were presented: [7]

Notes

  1. The film also competed for the award from the HUMAN:RIGHTS section.
  2. The film is composed of 22 short films directed by Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah, and Islam Al Zrieai.

References

  1. Economou, Vassilis (13 March 2025). "CPH:DOX reveals the line-up for its competitions". Cineuropa . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  2. Dalton, Ben (6 February 2025). "Tommy Gulliksen's 'Facing War', about Nato handling of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to open CPH:DOX 2025". Screen Daily . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  3. Pedersen, Lise (28 March 2025). "Deming Chen's 'Always' Wins Main Prize at CPH:DOX as Mstyslav Chernov Nabs F:ACT Award for '2000 Meters to Andriivka'". Variety . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  4. "Juries". CPH:DOX . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  5. 1 2 Szalai, Georg (26 February 2025). "Copenhagen Doc Festival CPH:DOX Unveils Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Pedersen, Lise (26 February 2025). "Copenhagen Docs Fest CPH:DOX Unveils Bold Lineup With a Sharp Focus on Human Rights". Variety . Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  7. Lattanzio, Ryan (28 March 2025). "CPH:DOX Winners Led by 'Always,' '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' and More". IndieWire . Retrieved 29 March 2025.