CPH:DOX 26

Witch Club Satan are a fast-emerging mega-force in the world of Norwegian “black metal” - and when they play, they make a very big din. In her new film Hex (sold by CAT&Docs), cinematographer-turned-director Maja Holand follows the band’s founders, Victoria, Nikoline, and Johann, as they try to gate crash a male-dominated world. “My approach was that I stayed with them, often slept in the same house - and they sometimes just called me the fourth witch!” the director tells BDE of the rapport she shared with the band.

CPH:DOX returns to Copenhagen March 11–22 2026 for its 23rd edition, presenting more than 200 new films alongside debates, live talks, concerts, exhibitions and special events. 86 world premieres, 25 international premieres and 10 European premieres are featured in this year's festival, of which 63 are feature-length films. Key figures coming to Copenhagen include HBO cult icon John Wilson, French actress and director Juliette Binoche and acclaimed documentarian Louis Theroux, amongst many others.

The seventy-four titles, “hand-picked from thousands of submissions from around the world,” features 53 world premieres, 17 international premieres and 4 European premieres. At the heart of the festival are six juried competition sections judged by leadinginternational experts, as well as a €10,000 Audience Award. The program is anchored by the flagship competition section, the DOX:AWARD, which comes with a €10,000 prize for which 12 films will compete.

CPH:DOX announced February 5 the line-up of artworks and experiences for its 2026 INTER:ACTIVE exhibition, running March 11-22 and centred on the theme of HYPERVIGILANCE’ “The works in this year’s INTER:ACTIVE exhibition expose the collective anxiety of a society on high alert, where we struggle to retain agency over our image, body, and voice,” comments CPH:LAB’s Head of Studies, Mark Atkin.

Directed by acclaimed Belgian filmmaker Pieter-Jan De Pue, Mariinka will celebrate its world premiere at the CPH:DOX 2026 opening gala in the concert hall of the Royal Danish Academy of Music on March 10 at 19:00, in the presence of the director and the film crew, including two of the main protagonists in the film. The 23rd edition of CPH:DOX will take place March 11–22 in Copenhagen.

The 2026 edition of CPH:DOX’s flagship financing and co-production event will bring together 101 directors and producers representing 23 countries who will present 30 new doc projects spanning early to late development and production. “The 2026 CPH:FORUM selection tells the story of the times we live in through the lenses of filmmakers who challenge the status quo, take risks and engage in dialogue with the world,” comments Mara Gourd-Mercado, Head of Industry & Training.