The 22nd Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX 2025 took place from 19 to 30 March 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The festival is held annually to highlight non-fiction filmmaking from countries all over the world.
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. 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.
Juries The jury members were as follows:
DOX:AWARD Rikke Tambo Andersen, film producer Max Kestner, Danish documentary filmmaker Nicolas Rapold, American critic and editor Adele Tulli, Italian film director and researcher Raul Niño Zambrano, Dutch programmer and creative director of Sheffield DocFest
NEXT:WAVE Sissel Dargis Morell, Danish filmmaker Sona Karapoghosyan, Armenian film critic and program curator for the Yerevan International Film Festival Maria Palacios Cruz, British writer, educator and director of the Open City Documentary Festival
NEW:VISION Mason Leaver-Yap, British artist and curator Jeppe Lange, Denmark artist Marina Kožul, Croatian producer and programmer
F:ACT Alexis Bloom, South African-German film director and producer Mikala Krogh, Danish film director and editor-in-chief of DR Documentary Steffi Niederzoll, German filmmaker, artist and author
HUMAN:RIGHTS Mohamed Saïd Ouma, Comorian film director and executive director of Documentary Africa Tomáš Poštulka, Czech festival programmer and head of the One World Festival Birgitte Stærmose, Danish film director and screenwriter
NORDIC:DOX Butheina Kazim, Emirati festival programmer and founder or Cinema Akil Dario Oliveira, Portuguese artistic director and founder of Curtas Metragens Vila do Conde Film Festival Roja Pakari, Iranian film director
Competitions The films selected for each section are as follows:
DOX:AWARD A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) À Demain sur la Lune Thomas Balmès France Agatha's Almanac Amalie Atkins Canada Always 从来 Deming Chen United States, France, China Balane 3 Ico Costa Portugal, France Facing War Tommy Gulliksen Norway, Belgium Flophouse America Monica Strømdahl Norway, Netherlands, United States My Dear Theo Alisa Kovalenko Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine Sanatorium Gar O'Rourke Ireland, Ukraine, France The Castle Il castello indistruttibile Danny Biancardi, Virginia Nardelli, Stefano La Rosa France, Italy The Father, the Song and the Holy Spirit Faderen, Sønnerne og Helligånden Christian Sønderby Jepsen Denmark The Helsinki Effect Arthur Franck Finland, Germany, Norway We Live Here Мы здесь живем Zhanana Kurmasheva Kazakhstan
NEW:VISION A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Perishable Idol Majid Al-Remaih France, Kuwait, Qatar All These Summers Therese Henningsen United Kingdom, Denmark City Child Austin Lynch United States, Germany Unstable Rocks Pedras Instáveis Ewelina Rosinska, Nuno Barroso Germany, Portugal Available Light Morgan Quaintance United Kingdom Images de Tunisie Younes Ben Slimane United Kingdom, France, Tunisia Green Grey Black Brown Yuyan Wang South Korea, France, China Melted Into the Sun Saodat Ismailova Uzbekistan, Italy, Portugal Illiyeen Eliyah Mesayer, Nanna Rebekka Denmark Songbook Mariah Garnett United States Time Paradox Minha Park South Korea Sinking Latitude 下沉纬度 Jiawei Zheng Denmark, China Siticulosa Maeve Brennan United kingdom, Denmark Fear Fokol Tuva Björk Sweden Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 Juliette Le Monnyer Belgium International Satan's Day Raed Yassin Lebanon Scrap Rebut Noémie Lobry France
F:ACT AWARD A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 2000 Meters to Andriivka Mstyslav Chernov Ukraine Antidote James Jones United Kingdom K-Number Seyoung Jo South Korea Men of War Jen Gatien, Billy Corben United States, Canada Predators David Osit United States The End of the Internet Dylan Reibling Canada The Eukrainian Viktor Nordenskiöld Sweden, France, Ukraine, Belgium The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy Håvard Bustnes Norway, Germant, United Kingdom The Last Ambassador Die letzte Botschafterin Natalie Halla Austria The Perfect Neighbor Geeta Gandbhir United States
NORDIC:DOX A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Fighter Sunniva Sundby, Mari Bakke Riise Norway If I Die Today Hvis jeg dør i dag Camilla Arlien Denmark Lowlands Kids Sandra Winther Denmark, United States Portrait of a Confused Father Gunnar Hall Jensen Norway The Ground Beneath Our Feet Jörðin undir fótum okkar Yrsa Roca Fannberg Iceland, Poland The Last Misfits by The Golden River Aurinko laskee Lemmenjoella Juho-Pekka Tanskanen Finland The Nicest Men on Earth Verdens sødeste mænd Josefine Exner, Sebastian Gerdes Denmark The Sequel to Summer Rain Uppföljaren till Sommarregn Viktor Johansson Sweden Walls - Akinni Inuk Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg, Sofie Rørdam Greenland Witch Heks Emil Nørgaard Munk Denmark Zlatan's Nose Zlatans näsa Nils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg, Olle Toftenow Sweden
HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 9-Month Contract ცხრათვიანი კონტრაქტი Ketevan Vashagashvili Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany Black Water Natxo Leuza Spain Girls & Gods Arash T. Riahi, Verena Soltiz Austria Little Syria Madalina Rosca, Reem Karssli Portugal, Romania, Germany Matabeleland Nyasha Kadandara Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana Moria Six Jennifer Mallmann Germany The Dialogue Police Dialogpolisen Susanna Edwards Sweden The Encampments Michael T. Workman, Kei Pritsker United States The Lions by the River Tigris Løvene ved elven Tigris Zaradasht Ahmed Norway, Netherlands
NEXT:WAVE AWARD A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) 50 Meters Yomna Khattab Egypt, Denmark, Saudi Arabia Abode of Dawn Sonnenstadt Kristina Shtubert Germany Copan Carine Wallauer Brazil, France Fantastic Family En fantastisk familie Nicoline Skotte Denmark I Am Night at Noonday Je suis la nuit en plein midi Gaspard Hirschi France ILOVERUSS Tova Mozard Sweden Latina, Latina Adrian Duncan Ireland Open Call Sille Storihle Norway Red Forest Forêt Rouge Laurie Lassalle France The Golden Spurtle Constantine Costi United Kingdom, Australia Unanimal Sally Jacobson, Tuva Bjork Sweden, France Who Witnessed the Temples Fall Quién vio los templos Lucía Selva Spain
INTER:ACTIVE AWARD A highlighted title indicates the award winner. English Title Original Title Format Director(s) Production countrie(s) Aggregate Videogame Distraction France Constantinopoliad Installation Sister Sylvester, Nadah El Shazly United Kingdom Girlfriend Experience Interactive Video Installation Ugo Arsac France Huk, the Jaguaress Huk, la Jaguaresa Interactive Installation Violeta Ayala Australia, Canada, Bolivia Natural Contacts Interactive Installation Mark Fingerhut, Matthew D Gantt, Bridget DeFranco, Peter Burr United States Songs of Travel Mobile Game Ben Wahl, Lisley Viraphong, Jack Gutmann Austria Tarang Expanded Film Kinnari Saraiya United Kingdom The Alluvials Game Alice Bucknell United Kingdom The Caring Machine AI Art Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm Denmark The Forest That Breathes Us Virtual Reality Jennifer Abbott Canada Truth Bears No Scandal الـواضِح مو فـاضِح Video Installation Ahmed Umar Norway The Garden Says... XR Performance Uri Kranot, Michelle Kranot, Sara Topsøe Jensen, Sarah John, Marieke Breyne Denmark
Sections The films selected for each section are as follows:
Special Premieres The following section consists of exclusive premieres screening out of competition. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Animality Ai Weiwei Germany Azza Stefanie Brockhaus Germany, Saudi Arabia Casa La Casa Caroline Benarrosh France Everest Dark Jereme Watt Canada Fission Spaltung João Pedro Prado, Anton Yaremchuk Germany Forever We Are Young Grace Lee, Patty Ahn United States, South Korea How Deep is Your Love Eleanor Mortimer United Kingdom It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley Amy Berg United States Lost for Words Hannah Papacek Harper France, United Kingdom Observer Ian Cheney United States You Need This Ryan Andrej Lough United States
Highlights The following section consists of films already screened at festivals and other acclaimed films. English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) A Family Une famille Christine Angot France A Sister's Tale Leila Amini Switzerland, France, Iran About a Hero Piotr Winiewicz Denmark Ai WeiWei's Turandot Maxim Derevianko Italy, United States Blue Road - The Edna O'Brien Story Sinéad O'Shea Ireland, United Kingdom Coexistence, My Ass! Amber Fares United States, France Dear Tomorrow Kaspar Astrup Schröder Denmark, Sweden, Japan How to Build a Library Maia Lekow, Christopher King Kenya Letters from Wolf Street Listy z Wilczej Arjun Talwar Poland, Germany Mistress Dispeller Elizabeth Lo China, United States Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature Miyazaki, l’esprit de la nature Leo Favier France Mr. Nobody Against Putin Pavel Talankin, David Borenstein Denmark, Czech Republic Only on Earth Robin Petré Denmark, Spain Paul Denis Côté Canada Real Adele Tulli Italy Seeds Brittany Shyne United States Tata Lina Vdovii, Radu Ciorniciuc Romania, Germany, Netherlands The Brink of Dreams Rafaat Einy Ll Sama Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia The Dating Game Violet Du Feng United States, United Kingdom, Norway The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop Simon Ennis Canada, United States The Secret of Me Grace Hughes-Hallett United Kingdom, United States The Shards Masha Chernaya Georgia, Germany The Typewriter and Other Headaches La machine a ecrire Nicolas Philibert France Trans Memoria Victoria Verseau Sweden, France Truth or Dare Maja Classen Germany Twiggy Sadie Frost United Kingdom Viktor Olivier Sarbil Denmark, Ukraine, France, United States Where Dragons Live Suzanne Raes Netherlands, 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 Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Afternoons of Solitude Tardes de soledad Albert Serra Spain, France, Portugal Bogancloch Ben Rivers United Kingdom, Germany, Iceland Collective Monologue Monólogo colectivo Jessica Sarah Rinland Argentina, United Kingdom Elementary Apprendre Claire Simon France W.O.M.B. (Worth of My Body) Julienne Doko Denmark 4.48 Dysphoria Noah Holtegaard Denmark Movement Benjamin Muasya Denmark They Know We Know They Lie Isabella Solar Villaseca, Lou Mouw Sweden, Denmark I Am Everything Jeppe Lange Denmark 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)Censorship Görünür Görünmez: Bir (Oto)Sansür Antolojisi Firat Yucel, Erhan Örs, Sibil Çekmen, Serra Akcan, Nadir Sönmez, Hakan Bozyurt, Can Memiş, Belit Sağ Netherlands, Turkey Silent Observers Тихи Наблюдатели Eliza Petkova Bulgaria, Germany The Ban Roisin Agnew Ireland, United Kingdom The Diary of a Sky Lawrence Abu Hamdan Lebanon The More Naked We Dare to Be Jon Bang Carlsen Denmark Youth (Hard Times) 青春：苦 Wang Bing France, Netherlands, Luxembourg Youth (Homecoming) 青春：归 Wang Bing France, Netherlands, Luxembourg