CPH:DOX: 7 out of 13 docs in the main competition are from the Nordics

For its 20^th anniversary, Copenhagen’s major international documentary festival CPH:DOX (March 15-26) has for the first time secured world premieres for all of its DOX:AWARD main competition strand.

Artistic director Niklas Engstrøm says his selection consists of films “deeply rooted in reality, but always with original perspectives, creative ideas and a courage to challenge the status quo of documentary cinema as well as the world at large. “

“And yes, the times are dark and the world is a mess”, he continues, “but as long as we are able to laugh, we still stand a chance, and therefore I find it encouraging how several of these films use humour as a method to open our minds to the complexity of life in the 21st century.”

Underlying the strong Nordic presence, Karolina Lidin, Senior Advisor Documentary at Nordisk Film & TV Fond which has backed five of the seven Nordic entries, added: “As the long shadows of the pandemic on documentary filmmaking are slowly fading, the strong Nordic presence in CPH:DOX’ main competition is a celebration of our community’s resilience and uncompromising vision. The most pressing issues of our time, political unrest, crimes against humanity, climate change and automation, together with existential human stories, are all told cinematically through the filmmakers’ singular temperaments. RESPECT to the dedication of all seven teams! May their films meet the audiences they truly deserve,” she said.

The five documentaries supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond are the following:

• After Work (Sweden)
  Directed by Erik Gandini (Videocracy, The Swedish Theory of Love)
  Produced by Jesper Kurlandsky for Fasad.
  Thought-provoking film that looks at the phenomenon of work in the 21st century with the sharp vision and humour from Gandini, who has travelled the world for the film, from Kuwait Korea, the US to Europe.

• A Storm Foretold (Denmark)
  Directed by Christoffer Guldbrandsen (The President, Made in Denmark)
  Produced by Henrik Veileborg, Guldbrandsen and Peter Engel for Guldbrandsen Film.
  Guldbrandsen’s long-awaited film about Donald Trump’s former adviser and political godfather Roger Stone, is a chilling report from the rotten core of power, ahead of the riot on Capitol Hill.

• Songs of Earth (Norway)
  Directed by Margreth Olin (The Self Portrait, The Angel)
  Produced by Margreth Olin for Speranza Film, with Wim Wenders serving as executive producer.
  The mountainous landscapes of Norway provide the monumental backdrop for a magnificent, existential journey with the filmmaker’s parents as its human yardstick.

• Theatre of Violence (Denmark)
  Directed by Emil Langballe (Q’s Barbershop, The Wait) and Lukasz Konopa (After)
  Produced by Helle Faber for Made in Copenhagen.
  Epic and unshakeable drama of guilt and punishment about the first ever court case against a former child soldier accused of crimes against humanity.

• Vintersaga (Sweden)
  Directed by Carl Olsson (Patrimonium, Meanwhile on Earth)
  Produced by Antonio Russo Merenda for Ginestra.
  The human comedy unfolds in an aesthetically uncompromising and unmistakably Nordic saga in 24 chapters, with dark humour and a sociological gaze.

The other two Nordic films competing for the DOX:AWARD are:

• A Tiger in Paradise (Sweden)
  Directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson (A Stranger), editor of Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness and Fantastic Machine, which won a Special Jury Award in Sundance.
  Produced by Erik Hemmendorff for Plattform Produktion.
  A surreal journey into singer José González’s inner world of thoughts and shadows. Staged with dark humour in the picturesque Swedish countryside around his home.
• Motherland (Sweden)
  Directed by Alexander Mihalkovich and Hanna Badziaka.
  Produced by Mario Adamson for Sisyfos Films
  Dark and monumental film from Belarus, where corruption and a brutal military culture push young people to choose sides.

The full competition programme of CPH:DOX will be announced February 21^st.

Check here for more details: www.cphdox.dk