18/03/2025 - The duo heading one of the world’s biggest documentary festivals tell Cineuropa about this year’s edition and its strong connection to the turbulent times we are living in

With the 23rd edition of CPH:DOX set to take place from 19-30 March in Copenhagen, we chatted with Katrine Kilgaard, the managing director and Niklas Engstrøm, the artistic director of the festival. 

Cineuropa: What can you tell us about this year's film programme? 
Niklas Engstrøm: The overarching goal is to support innovative documentary films that push the boundaries of non-fiction storytelling, offer diverse perspectives, and spark critical discussions on social and political issues. Diversity is at the heart of what we do – we aim to demonstrate that the documentary genre is vast and its subject matter is limitless. While we could have easily curated an entire programme around first-person cinema, for example, we want to show that documentary can take many forms: observational, investigative, essayistic, personal, performative, participatory, interventionist, hybrid, archival-based, interactive, narrative, poetic, and more. 

We also strive to present a broad spectrum of global topics and certain themes are particularly prominent: the war in Ukraine, climate issues and the relationship between humans and animals, to name a few. On a more personal note, I enjoy identifying connections between the films within the programme. For example, several films in our main competition feature children in central roles (Flophouse America [+see also:
film review
interview: Monica Strømdahl
film profile], The Castle [+see also:
interview: Danny Biancardi, Virginia N…
film profile], Always), and The Helsinki Effect presents one of the defining moments in the establishment of the liberal world order, which, in films like Facing War [+see also:
film review
film profile], My Dear Theo [+see also:
film review
film profile], and 2000 Meters to Andriivka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], appears to be increasingly challenged and on the verge of unraveling.

With the theme "Right Here, Right Now", you have decidedly orientated the festival towards the turbulent zeitgeist. How and when did you come up with it? 
NE: The theme began to take shape during last year’s festival, when we discussed with our partners at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Human Rights Watch, and the newly established Frececo Foundation, the urgent need to highlight human rights. Over the course of 2024, the theme evolved, focusing on global challenges like authoritarianism, human rights, and climate justice. However, after the re-election of Donald Trump, it became clear to me that the international legal order - and the broader rules-based liberal world - was facing even greater risks. This led us to frame the theme as both a reflection of the current moment and a subtle call to action - an invitation to engage with the evolving landscape of human rights and international law.

As for the industry section, the Forum once again covers a large and varied ground, geographically, artistically and thematically. Can you tell us how you approach the selection?
NE: Whether for the Forum or the programme, we base our selection on a combination of artistic originality, cinematic quality, social relevance, and, of course, diversity. At the same time, we aim to support projects that not only push the boundaries of the genre but also have the potential to make an impact on the international market. This is a pivotal moment for the documentary community, and I believe it’s our responsibility as a festival to champion films that can really make a difference, just as we should keep supporting the future generations of filmmakers that are on their way.

A big new industry event is the CPH:DOX Summit, can you tell us what it is about and how and why you decided to establish it?
Katrine Kiilgaard: The Summit is an idea that I’ve been considering for a long time. The need to have constructive discussions and sharing of ideas regarding the future of our industry and of independent media more broadly from a policy making standpoint has been there for long and is more pressing in the current geopolitical climate. The role of independent media makers is being challenged, polarisation is taking hold of the political discourse and we need to counter that with a strong industry that continues to put forward important stories and points of view, in order to uphold democracy and shared democratic values in Europe and beyond. We bring together politicians, policy makers, academics and industry stakeholders, to all put our heads together and work hand in hand to build this future landscape for future generations.

Can you highlight some of the exciting talks in the CPH:Conference programme? 
KK: Every year with our curators and our partners at Documentary Campus, we try to strike the balance between inspirational talks analysing urgent topics and the actual making of documentaries. I would highlight the talk with Keri Putnam, Alexandra Marionneau and Erika Dilday, moderated by Doc Society’s Beadie Finzi, on how collaborations can lead to a better reach to audiences and how to do it. I think our “A Morning with…” sessions, moderated by Thom Powers, are a great way to get inspired by peers such as Sam Soko, Violet du Feng and Mark Cousins. We want to make sure that different segments of our delegates find something of interest in our Conference and I think we’ve succeeded in that this year.