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The Special Eurimages Award was given to the Ukrainian Red Zone by Iryna Tsilyk, while the 10th Eurimages Co-production Development Award was won by Only on Earth by Robin Petré. Both are valued at €20,000. The Unifrance Doc Award, valued at €5900 in subtitling services and Unifrance membership, went to Cuba & Alaska by Yegor Troyanovsky.

The Chilean presence at CPH:DOX may have been relatively low key in 2023 but Chiledoc Deputy Director Flor Rubina is hopeful that this will increase significantly in coming years after she observed the public and industry-facing activities at CPH this week. Three Chilean films screened this year, including Maite Alberdi’s The Eternal Memory.     

For the first time, the East Silver Market will take place at the East Doc Platform. The Institute of Documentary Film has prepared individual meetings between decision makers and creators of projects in post-production and finished films from the CEE region. A videolibrary with East Silver and One World titles will be available for accredited guests at the French Institute in Prague.

Fremantle Documentaries unveiled March 21 its new Undeniable label, dedicated to producing world-class premium feature documentaries and series. The label will develop and produce premium projects, “and harness its global expertise to attract and work with high-profile talent and international commissioners,” the company says. 

The Grand Geneva Award (CHF 10’000) was won March 18 by Inna Sahakyan for Aurora’s Sunrise. Colette et Justin picked up the Gilda Vieira de Mello Award (€5000). My Name is Happy by Ayşe Toprak & Nick Read was awarded the Youth Jury Prize, while Abbas Rezaie’s Etilaat Roz won the Prize of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).

Lightdox is expanding its sales operations into France, MD Anna Berthollet told BDE on the eve of CPH:DOX 2023. With a new base in Annecy, the move will allow the Swiss company “to explore all the new opportunities around impact and semi-theatrical distribution, and basically to do more crafted work for films that we engage on board each year,” she said. The company will handle sales on new CPH docs Motherland and The Other Profile.

Geneva’s FIFDH Impact Days showcased a successful case study revolving around STEPS, a groundbreaking, 360-degree documentary project that aims to promote social change throughout Africa. “War, conflicts, deep inequality, forced displacement, the climate crisis… Never before have we such a responsibility as media creators and human rights activists,” said STEPS’ Don Edkins.

Maite Alberdi’s feature doc recently won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary and was runner-up for the Berlinale Panorama Audience Award for Doc. Dogwoof partnered with MTV Documentary Films soon after the Sundance premiere to represent the film for international sales. The film screens this week at CPH:DOX.

The StoryBoard Impact Award (10,000 CHF) was won by My Name Is Happy by Nick Read and Ayse Toprak. The DOCS UP Fund (€1500 plus consultation) went to Scarlet Girls by Paula Cury while The Sublimages Award (translation and subtitles) was handed to Land of Women by Aymar El Amir and Nada Riyadh. After the awards, Impact Head Laura Longobardi reflected on the entire event.

The Prague-based documentary sales agent will handle world sales on Boubacar Sangare’s feature doc about the dream of a better future in a Burkina Faso goldmine. After its Berlin premiere, the film was presented in FESPACO in Burkina Faso and is selected for the upcoming Movies that Matter film festival where it will screen in Festival Favourites section. (Plus teaser)