Democracy and human rights lead the conversation at CPH:DOX in an upbeat, yet cautious business climate

The 2025 edition of Copenhagen’s influential documentary festival, CPH:DOX, concluded its in-person run with the announcement of its top awards, highlighting a diverse range of international and Nordic filmmaking talent.

Deming Chen’s Always, a poetic portrayal of rural life in China (USA/France/China), took home the coveted DOX:AWARD. Among the Nordic winners, Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg and Sofie Rørdam’s Walls – Akinni Inuk (Greenland) won the NORDIC:DOX AWARD, while Monica Strømdahl’s Flophouse America (Norway) received a Special Mention in the main competition. Denmark was also recognised, with Josefine Exner and Sebastian Gerdes’s The Nicest Men on Earth (Verdens sødeste mænd) receiving a Special Mention in the Nordic section and The Garden Says… earning a Special Mention in the INTER:ACTIVE AWARD category. In the industry awards, Lucien Pin’s Becoming Lucien (France) received the Eurimages Outreach Award (€30,000), and Francesca Tremulo and Eszter Várhidi’s A Sanctuary of Stuff (Denmark/Italy/Hungary) was awarded the Eurimages Innovation Award (€20,000) and the Sunny Side of the Doc Award.

Nordic Talent in the Spotlight Amid Industry Turmoil

The 12-day festival, running from March 19 to 30, offered a dynamic overview of the non-fiction landscape, marked by particularly strong industry activity. Head of Industry Mara Gourd-Mercado reported over 1,000 one-to-one meetings and a total of over 2,000 accredited guests, including 20 delegations comprising 181 participants and 101 roundtables, fostering what she described as “a thriving and increasingly global documentary community”.

Gourd-Mercado emphasised the significant presence of Nordic producers across numerous projects, noting that it “goes to show the talent there is in the Nordics in the documentary field”. She also highlighted The Coil Case as a key title, underscoring the urgent need for “Greenlandic stories to be told on a global stage”. While diverse themes prevailed, this was seen as a positive reflection of the industry’s engagement with current global events.

Despite a challenging broader business environment characterised by diminishing financing and scarce opportunities, Gourd-Mercado observed a renewed sense of urgency and collaboration, particularly in light of the US elections. Within CPH:DOX, however, the atmosphere was more optimistic, with a palpable “will to push for documentaries and to bring projects to the finish line”.

Looking ahead, Gourd-Mercado voiced concerns about the sustainability of politically engaged storytelling, warning of a “real danger to see those types of documentaries not being made at a moment where they are so necessary” due to increasing governmental involvement in content creation and financing. She called for “boldness” to uphold democracy in the face of a low tolerance for risk.

Human Rights Focus and Performative Masculinity

Øystein Egge, Festival Director of Norway’s Movies on War, lauded the strength of the Nordic selection, noting the prominence of Norwegian titles exploring themes of masculinity and success in what he termed “somewhat performative documentaries questioning masculinity and success”. Films like Facing War, Portrait of a Confused Father (Portrett av en forvirret far), Fighter (Fotspor), and The Gardener, the Buddhist and the Spy (Gartneren, buddhisten og spionen) often took “unexpected turns” and addressed increasingly urgent issues such as democracy in the Nordic region. Egge also noted higher attendance and increased engagement from sales agents.

Laura Longobardi, Editorial Co-Director of Geneva’s FIFDH, highlighted the “very strong urgency” of Nordic-involved pitches and their connection to significant global political and social movements. She noted a dichotomy within the industry, where politically controversial films face challenges, yet constructive conversations around adaptation through stronger networks and new financing models are taking place.

Johanna Råman, Executive Director of DocPoint Helsinki, echoed the praise for the diversity and quality of Nordic non-fiction pitches while emphasising the growing challenges facing filmmakers and festivals, including democratic regression, the evolving media landscape, disinformation, AI, the climate crisis, and funding cuts. Despite these concerns, she described the mood at CPH:DOX as a “mix of concern and optimism”, stressing the crucial role of creative documentary in fostering empathy and upholding democracy.

Cautious Optimism Among Producers and Distributors

Producer Ove Rishøj Jensen, of Sweden’s Auto Images, commended the “very high standard” of Nordic pitched projects, characterised by unique artistic approaches and narratives. While acknowledging the focus on turbulent times, he stressed the continued diversity within the documentary scene. Danish producer Rikke Tambo Andersen, of Tambo Films, recognised the tough years for the industry, but affirmed CPH:DOX’s role as a solid platform for documentary business. Jensen acknowledged the trend of public broadcasters reducing investment in documentary, but remained positive due to the “entrepreneurial spirit” of the field.

Distributor Kim Foss, of Denmark’s Camera Film, described this edition as “the most intense... yet”, with high cinema attendance even for challenging films, attributing it to the synergy within the documentary industry driven by shared political and social causes.

Meanwhile, Hanna Björk Valsdóttir, producer at Iceland's Akkeri Film, highlighted the NORDIC:DOX winner’s Greenlandic setting as timely. She finds the documentary market highly competitive, where a film’s topic often matters more than its quality—"not the direction I would like to see." While the market itself didn’t do much for her film The Ground Beneath Our Feet (Jörðin undir fótum okkar), she described its premiere as a wonderful experience with an engaged audience.

Concerns Over Market Sustainability and Niche Projects

While Kim Christiansen, Executive Producer at DR Sales, found the Nordic showcased projects “strong and with a great sense of what is going on in the world right now”, he and others raised concerns about the market’s sustainability. Christiansen noted a “crumbling” market with limited opportunities due to media organisations undergoing transitions and halting commissions. Kathryn Bonnici, of Java Films, considered CPH:DOX more of a “networking market than an acquisition market”.

Kazz Basma, of Sideways Films, while acknowledging the high quality of the presented projects, lamented that many were “very niche and personal”, limiting their broader appeal. He criticised the industry’s increasing insularity and the low fees paid by public broadcasters, noting that YouTube, Tubi, and Amazon now generate significantly more revenue.

Despite these challenges, there was a general agreement on CPH:DOX’s continued importance, with Christiansen calling it “probably the most important venue for documentaries”. Bonnici affirmed it was “really becoming a ‘must attend”, and Basma praised its curatorial standards.

CPH:Summit Addresses Industry Future

New to this year’s festival was the CPH:Summit, a conference curated by Mark Edwards, bringing together filmmakers, politicians, researchers, and thought leaders to discuss the future of the audiovisual industry, including big tech dominance, collaboration, intercepting younger audiences, and investigative journalism.

For the Nordic line-up: CLICK HERE.

CPH:DOX’s online component will continue until April 13.