INTERVIEWS

CPH:DOX NORDIC:DOX: The Labour of Pain and Joy by Karoliina Gröndahl

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Gröndahl’s feature documentary follows Finnish birth experts – midwife Kirsi and doula Anna-Riitta - who want to put an end to “obstetric violence” and enable people to give birth on their own terms. “I believe that if this was something people with testicles would experience, not with wombs, there would be more resources put into this, but it’s [seen as] a woman’s issue and so is [considered] not so important,” the director muses on the gender politics behind birth.

CPH:DOX Next:Wave: Sting Like A Bee by Leone Balduzzi

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Italian director Leone Balduzzi discusses his debut feature Sting Like A Bee, about a group of teens growing up in the south of Italy. The project started life as a piece of branded content for Piaggio bikes. “Quite spontaneously, all the topics of the documentary – including sex, AIDS and homosexuality – emerged. These [topics] originated together [with the kids]. To some extent, it’s been like a social experiment,” the filmmaker tells BDE.

CPH:DOX: F:ACT AWARD: Lie To Me by Bår Tyrmi

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Sometimes docmakers struggle very hard to find their subjects. In the case of Lie To Me (international premiere March 18), the subject (Bjørn Bjercke, Bitcoin expert and whistleblower) came direct to the filmmakers, at which point they were immediately pulled into the “rabbit hole” of OneCoin, the fraudulent cryptocurrency presided over by the glamorous Bulgarian-born German swindler Ruja Ignatova, soon to be become one of the FBI’s “most wanted” felons…

CPH:DOX FACT:AWARD Democracy Noir by Connie Field

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In Connie Field’s feature documentary, which world-premieres at CPH:DOX, three Hungarian women fight to expose the dismantling of democracy in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary. The director believes that her story can have strong resonance for US audiences. “Who I made it for was people like me, to scare them to death, so that in my country specifically, we will work like mad to make sure that Trump doesn’t get into the White House,” she tells BDE.

CPH:DOX NORDIC:DOX: G – 21 Scenes from Gottsunda by Loran Batti

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Swedish doc debutant Loran Batti talks to BDE about his deeply intimate debut G - 21 Scenes from Gottsunda, set in Uppsala’s notorious titular suburb. In the film, Batti grapples with the desire to move away, but is torn by loyalty to his childhood friends who lead a criminal life. “Speaking about the spiritual and the human aspect, it was so hard for me to keep distant from the film, the project, the place and the subject,” he tells BDE.

CPH:DOX HUMAN:RIGHTS: Silent Trees by Agnieszka Zwiefka

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Trapped in the freezing forest between Belarus and Poland, 16-year-old Kurdish refugee Runa must assume all family responsibilities for her father and brothers after the death of their mother. In her new hybrid doc, Polish Agnieszka Zwiefka follows Runa as she tries to create a new life for her family in Poland, in the process telling a story both terrifying and inspirational. “This is actually our obligation as documentary filmmakers. Who would we be if we didn't react to such a humanitarian crisis at our doorstep,” Zwiefka underlines to BDE.

NEWS

CPH:DOX news: Time to DISCO in Copenhagen

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On March 18, CPH:DOX 2024 hosted the DISCO Network’s Independence Project presentation and workshop, which advocates for independent documentaries across culture, society, and democracy. The 90-minute event, titled “Our Declaration of Independence,” saw the participation of Beadie Finzi, Director of Doc Society, and Jad Abi-Khalil, Executive Director of Lebanon-based cultural association for Arab Cinema Aflamuna (formerly known as Beirut DC).

FIFDH 2024: Closing and Awards of the festival’s 22nd...

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The Geneva Grand Prize was awarded to Edward Lovelace’s Name Me Lawand, a deeply moving narrative portraying the journey of a deaf Kurdish teenager in exile, while The Sergio Vieira de Mello Prize went to Mohamed Jabaly’s Life is Beautiful, a Palestinian film showcased during a dedicated event honouring those who portray the narratives of the Palestinian people through documentaries, photography and film.

FIFDH Impact Days presentation: This is a Quiet Love...

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“Our film is a love story featuring four deaf couples signing the stories of how they met, fell in love, and the joys of complexities of their relationships,” Irish producer Anne Heffernan told the audience of change-makers at FIFDH Impact Days. “Together, these cinematic love stories weave a tapestry of deaf experience over a 70-year period and we believe it will make people think differently about what it means to be Deaf in a hearing world."

FIFDH Impact Days presentation: The Long Rescue by Jennifer...

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The Long Rescue tells a desperate tale of abuse, but the focus is on recovery rather than trauma, survival rather than rescue. It’s a story of human trafficking in The Philippines. “Sexual violence can feel overwhelming, but we're here because we believe much can and must be done,” director Jennifer Huang told the Geneva audience. “We invite you to talk with us about how we can work together to support the journeys of these survivors in their recovery, discovery, and agency.”

Chilean docs and projects at CPH:DOX 2024

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Chile arrives at CPH:DOX 2024 where Oasis, the latest film from the MAFI collective, is in selection following its world bow in Berlin Forum. Additionally, the project Unwelcomed, Amilcar Films' debut doc, will be presented at CPH:WIP. “The presence of Chilean documentaries at events like CPH:DOX demonstrates the growing interest in the Nordic countries and worldwide in our country's creative industry,” says ProChile’s Catalin Butnariu.

CPH:DOX seller report: Salma Abdalla of Autlook Film Sales 

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As doors opened on CPH:DOX 2024, Salma Abdalla, CEO of Vienna-based sales outfit Autlook, was striking an upbeat note. After all, the company is arriving in Copenhagen after a strong start to the year. At Sundance in January, Autlook closed an eye-catching global deal with Netflix for Ibelin, its film about a gamer’s secret life, directed by Benjamin Ree. Business was also brisk at the Berlinale last month, she tells BDE.

REVIEWS

CPH:DOX NEXT:WAVE: Kix by Dávid Mikulán and Bálint Révész

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A fast paced, yet carefully crafted portrait of a young boy trying to maintain his dreams on the streets of poverty-stricken Budapest, and of an unlikely friendship between a filmmaker and his protagonist. The film is a wonderful document about growing up in poor conditions. It could have been sensationalist, moralistic and voyeuristic, but the space he gives his characters allows you to see them in all their complexity and humanity.

CPH:DOX F:ACT AWARD: The Battle for Laikipia by Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi

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A fascinating and astutely balanced appraisal of an escalating conflict between Indigenous pastoralist settlers and British-Kenyan ranchers, The Battle for Laikipia, by filmmakers Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi, offers a nuanced look into the two factions involved, but offers no easy answers as cultural differences and climate change accentuate the disconnect between two divergent ways of life in Kenya.

CPH:DOX DOX:AWARD review – Phantoms of the Sierra Madre by Håvard Bustnes

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The adventurous decision to make a film following the path of acclaimed Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad’s 1937 expedition to Mexico in search of a lost Apache tribe gradually morphs into an examination of what is fact and what is fiction, and finally a timely reflection on concerns over cultural appropriation.

CPH:DOX DOX:AWARD review: Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

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A beautiful delve into life and love, the wonderfully titled Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other gently and thoughtfully examines the ups and downs of a long relationship. The film is movingly profound in its simplicity as it tells the story of Maggie and Joel, aged 75 and 84, both very much aware they are in the twilight of their lives but still battling for their love.

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