CPH:DOX - Copenhagen International Documentary Festival

Overview

CPH:DOX (Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival) is one of the largest documentary festivals in Europe. The 23rd edition ran March 11 to 22, 2026, in Copenhagen, screening 200+ films across 18 sections with seven competition categories. The festival is part of The Foundation of the Copenhagen Film Festivals. The next edition (CPH:DOX 2027) runs March 10 to 21, 2027 in cinemas, with an online festival running March 18 to April 4, 2027.

The 2026 international competition lineup included 74 films hand-picked from thousands of submissions, featuring 53 world premieres, 17 international premieres, and 4 European premieres. The DOX:AWARD (EUR 10,000, sponsored by Politiken Fonden) was awarded to Whispers in May by Dongnan Chen (Hong Kong/Netherlands/South Korea/Sweden). The FIPRESCI Critics' Prize, introduced in 2026, went to Amazomania by Nathan Grossman. The AUDIENCE:AWARD (EUR 10,000, sponsored by DR) went to MARIINKA by Pieter-Jan De Pue, which also served as the festival's opening film.

CPH:DOX distinguishes itself through its commitment to formally adventurous and politically engaged documentary work. The festival programs documentaries that challenge conventional nonfiction forms, with dedicated competition categories for experimental work (NEW:VISION), investigative journalism (F:ACT), and emerging filmmakers (NEXT:WAVE). The CPH:FORUM industry market is one of the most active documentary pitching and co-production platforms in Europe.

For the full CPH:DOX entry with complete submission details, competition rules, and industry program information, see CPH:DOX.

Submission Details

CPH:DOX accepts film submissions through its online portal. The festival is open to films of any duration as well as interactive formats such as VR, AR, Mixed Media, and installations. It is not possible to apply for a specific section or competition; the selection and placement of a film is entirely at the discretion of the festival.

CPH:DOX 2027 Submission Deadlines:

Films that have premiered after April 1, 2026, are eligible to apply. Work-in-progress versions are welcome for preview. All submitted films will be notified by mid-February 2027 at the latest. The festival does not provide individual feedback or reviews.

Entry fees:

Premiere policy:

• Competition sections: priority given to World Premieres, secondarily to International and European Premieres
• Non-competitive sections: only Danish premieres required
• Films already shown in Denmark, on Danish national television, or available on VOD platforms accessible from Denmark are not eligible unless specifically authorized

Screening formats: DCP, 35mm, and 16mm. The festival has rights to up to 5 screenings of all selected films.

Competition Categories and Awards

2026 Award Winners:

• DOX:AWARD: Whispers in May by Dongnan Chen (Special Mention: The Cord by Nolwenn Herve)
• F:ACT AWARD: Just Look Up by Emma Wall and Betsy Hershey (Special Mention: The Great Experiment by Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar)
• NEXT:WAVE AWARD: Dream of Another Summer by Irene Bartolome (Special Mention: This Is Not a French Film by Tom Adjibi)
• NORDIC:DOX AWARD: The Secret Reading Club of Kabul by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen (Special Mention: Homesick by Taekyung Tanja In Wol Sorensen)
• HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD: The Phantom Pain of Rojava by Maryam Ebrahimi (Special Mention: American Doctor by Poh Si Teng)
• NEW:VISION AWARD: Compact Disc by Rico Wong
• INTER:ACTIVE AWARD: Inside: The Childhood of an Artist by Sacha Wares
• FIPRESCI Prize: Amazomania by Nathan Grossman
• AUDIENCE:AWARD: MARIINKA by Pieter-Jan De Pue

CPH:FORUM (Industry Market)

CPH:FORUM is the festival's international financing and co-production event and one of the most active documentary pitching platforms in Europe.

The Nordic broadcasting environment, with its strong tradition of documentary investment through public broadcasters in Denmark (DR), Sweden (SVT), Norway (NRK), and Finland (Yle), makes Copenhagen a hub for documentary co-production financing. The free accreditation for up to two pitching team members reduces the cost of market participation compared to other major industry events.

Festival History

CPH:DOX was founded in 2003 and has grown into one of Europe's top documentary events. The festival is part of The Foundation of the Copenhagen Film Festivals, which also operates CPH:PIX (a fiction film festival for young audiences) and BUSTER (a children's film festival).

The 2025 edition achieved record attendance with 150,104 audience members across Denmark, a 19% increase from 2024's 126,010. The festival ran March 19 to 30, 2025, featuring more than 200 films and 550 screenings in Copenhagen, while the DOX:DANMARK program expanded to 54 municipalities, a new festival record. The 2025 DOX:AWARD went to Always by Deming Chen, and the AUDIENCE:AWARD went to Witch by Emil Norgaard Munk.

The 2026 edition featured over 200 films organized under two thematic headlines: "Right Here, Right Now" (examining human rights in a changing world order) and "Brainwaves" (exploring the brain as biological, cultural, political, and mental landscape). The Right Here, Right Now program consisted of 30 films representing the 30 human rights, accompanied by an exhibition at Kunsthal Charlottenborg and a debate program at Pressen (Politikens Hus).

CPH:DOX has expanded its competition structure over the years from a single main competition to seven competitive categories. The FIPRESCI Critics' Prize was introduced in 2026 as the festival's newest award. The festival's growth has been driven by Copenhagen's position within the Nordic documentary ecosystem, which combines strong public broadcaster investment, active co-production markets, and a tradition of formally innovative documentary filmmaking.

What Filmmakers Should Know

CPH:DOX is the primary European destination for documentary filmmakers whose work pushes formal boundaries. The NEW:VISION competition is one of the few major festival categories dedicated to experimental documentary, making CPH:DOX uniquely valuable for filmmakers working between documentary and art cinema. The F:ACT competition bridges filmmaking and investigative journalism, attracting a different category of filmmaker and funder.

The festival's online component (March 18 to April 4, 2027, geo-blocked to Denmark via paradox.dk) means all selected films are invited to participate in a nationwide online festival, which also qualifies them for the EUR 10,000 Audience Award sponsored by DR. Filmmakers should note that online participation is confirmed individually with rights holders in advance.

The Dox:Danmark program extends selected films to cinemas across Denmark during the festival period, providing additional screening opportunities beyond Copenhagen. The UNG:DOX educational program screens selected films for high school students.

CPH:DOX does not provide individual feedback on submissions. The festival explicitly states it is "not able to respond with reviews and feedback to individual films." Films confirmed for CPH:DOX cannot be withdrawn from the program after January 1, 2027 (or upon confirmation if confirmed later).

For fee waivers, filmmakers from countries on the DAC list can request up to two waived submissions by contacting programme@cphdox.dk.

Past Winners

The 2026 award winners are listed above in the Competition Categories and Awards section. Here are the preceding editions:

2025 (22nd Edition) Winners:

• DOX:AWARD: Always by Deming Chen (USA/France/China) - a black-and-white documentary about an 8-year-old boy in Hunan province who discovers poetry. World premiere at CPH:DOX. Special Mention: Flophouse America by Monica Stromdahl.
• F:ACT AWARD: 2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov - Chernov previously won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 20 Days in Mariupol (2023). Both films had their world premieres at Sundance before screening at CPH:DOX.
• NORDIC:DOX AWARD: Walls - Akinni Inuk by Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg and Sofie Rordam (Greenland) - world premiere
• NEXT:WAVE AWARD: Abode of Dawn by Kristina Shtubert (Germany) - a 10-year chronicle of life inside a Christian cult in Siberia
• HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD: 9-Month Contract by Ketevan Vashagashvili - about unregulated surrogacy in Georgia. Vashagashvili is an alumna of CPH:DOX's Change program for underrepresented voices from Eastern Europe.
• AUDIENCE:AWARD: Witch by Emil Norgaard Munk
• The 2025 edition featured 94 world premieres, the highest number in the festival's history.

2024 (21st Edition) Winners:

• DOX:AWARD: The Flats by Alessandra Celesia (France/UK/Ireland/Belgium) - a documentary about the New Lodge neighborhood in Belfast, still haunted by the Troubles. Special Mention: Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other by Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet.
• AUDIENCE:AWARD: No Other Land by Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor (Palestine/Norway) - the film had its international premiere at CPH:DOX after winning the Berlinale Best Documentary Award. It later won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025. The film sold over 15,000 tickets in Danish cinemas, making it one of the most popular documentaries in Denmark in recent years.
• F:ACT AWARD: Black Snow - about government corruption
• The 2024 edition had 12 world premieres in the DOX:AWARD competition alone.

2023 (20th Edition) Winners:

• DOX:AWARD: Motherland by Alexander Mihalkovich and Hanna Badziaka (Sweden/Ukraine/Norway) - a documentary about neo-nationalism in Belarus. Special Mention: On the Edge by Nicolas Peduzzi (France).
• F:ACT AWARD: Seven Winters in Tehran by Steffi Niederzoll (Germany/France)
• NORDIC:DOX AWARD: Mrs. Hansen and the Bad Companions by Jella Bethmann (Denmark)
• NEW:VISION AWARD: An Asian Ghost Story by Bo Wang (Netherlands/Hong Kong)
• NEXT:WAVE AWARD: Queendom by Agniia Galdanova (USA/France)

Notable Alumni

CPH:DOX has a strong track record of programming documentaries that later achieved major international recognition:

• No Other Land (2024 Audience Award) - directed by the Palestinian-Israeli collective of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the Berlinale, the Gotham Award for Best Documentary, critics' awards from New York and Los Angeles critics' groups, and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Oscars in March 2025. Despite winning top prizes in Europe and the US, the film did not secure a US distribution deal, a situation its directors attributed to the political sensitivity of its subject matter. In Denmark, the film sold 15,000+ cinema tickets and was made available on CPH:DOX's PARA:DOX streaming platform.
• Always (2025 DOX:AWARD winner) - Deming Chen's directorial debut, shot in black and white, world premiered at CPH:DOX before screening at VIFF and other festivals. The film was produced with support from the Danish Film Institute.
• 20 Days in Mariupol (2023 F:ACT competition) - Mstyslav Chernov's film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Academy Awards. The film world premiered at Sundance 2023 and screened at CPH:DOX before its Oscar win.
• Motherland (2023 DOX:AWARD winner) - the Belarus documentary by Alexander Mihalkovich and Hanna Badziaka was recognized at CPH:DOX for its cinematic portrayal of life under an oppressive system.

Submission Tips

CPH:DOX does not allow filmmakers to apply for a specific section or competition. The selection and placement of every film is entirely at the discretion of the festival programmers. This means you submit your film and the festival decides whether it fits the DOX:AWARD, NEW:VISION, F:ACT, NEXT:WAVE, NORDIC:DOX, HUMAN:RIGHTS, or a non-competitive section.

Competition sections prioritize world premieres, with international and European premieres as secondary priorities. Non-competitive sections require only a Danish premiere. If your film has already screened in Denmark, on Danish national television, or is available on VOD platforms accessible from Denmark, it is not eligible unless specifically authorized by the festival.

Work-in-progress versions are accepted for preview. This is useful for filmmakers who miss the early deadline but have a rough cut ready by the late deadline. The festival reviews work-in-progress screeners alongside finished films.

Fee waivers are available for filmmakers from countries on the OECD DAC list. Up to two projects per company can be waived by contacting programme@cphdox.dk. This is a meaningful cost saving for filmmakers from developing countries.

The festival does not provide individual feedback on submissions. The official policy states the festival is "not able to respond with reviews and feedback to individual films." Do not expect notes or explanations if your film is rejected.

Films confirmed for CPH:DOX cannot be withdrawn from the program after January 1 of the festival year (or upon confirmation if confirmed later). This is a binding commitment that prevents filmmakers from pulling out for a competing festival premiere.

The online festival component (PARA:DOX, geo-blocked to Denmark) means all selected films may be invited to participate in a nationwide online festival. This qualifies them for the EUR 10,000 Audience Award. Online participation is confirmed individually with rights holders in advance, so filmmakers can opt out if their distribution strategy requires it.

Industry Reputation

CPH:DOX is one of the largest documentary festivals in Europe and arguably the most important for formally adventurous documentary work. The 2025 edition achieved record attendance of 150,104 audience members across Denmark, a 19% increase from 2024's 126,010. The DOX:DANMARK program expanded to 54 municipalities, a festival record.

CPH:FORUM is the festival's industry market and one of the most active documentary co-production and financing platforms in Europe. Approximately 30 projects are selected for CPH:FORUM and 5 for CPH:ROUGHCUT each year. The pitch format is a 7-minute presentation (including a 3-minute teaser) followed by 7 minutes of moderated discussion with a panel of 3 financiers. Accreditation is free for up to 2 team members, reducing the cost of market participation compared to other major industry events.

The Nordic broadcasting environment is the foundation of CPH:DOX's industry strength. Public broadcasters in Denmark (DR), Sweden (SVT), Norway (NRK), and Finland (Yle) have a strong tradition of documentary investment. Copenhagen's position within this ecosystem makes it a natural hub for documentary co-production financing. Broadcasters, funders, and co-producers attend CPH:FORUM specifically to find projects at the financing stage.

The NEW:VISION competition is one of the few major festival categories dedicated to experimental documentary, making CPH:DOX uniquely valuable for filmmakers working between documentary and art cinema. The F:ACT competition bridges filmmaking and investigative journalism, attracting a different category of filmmaker and funder.

The festival's track record with Oscar-recognized films is strong. No Other Land (2024 Audience Award) won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. 20 Days in Mariupol (2023) also won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Having two consecutive Oscar-winning documentaries screen at CPH:DOX confirms the festival's programming quality and its position as a meaningful stop on the documentary awards circuit.

The FIPRESCI Critics' Prize was introduced in 2026, adding international critical recognition to the festival's award structure. The prize is available to all DOX:AWARD nominees.

Watch

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Official trailer for Human Race by Move Copenhagen, a CPH:DOX 2025 selection. The film follows professor Eske Willerslev's mission to map the DNA of 5,000 ancient humans, produced with support from the Danish Film Institute and TV2 Denmark.

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Trailer for Always by Deming Chen, winner of the DOX:AWARD at CPH:DOX 2025. The documentary follows 8-year-old Youbin in a remote mountain village in Hunan province, China, shot in black and white.

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Trailer for No Other Land, winner of the Audience Award at CPH:DOX 2024 and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Oscars. The film documents Palestinian resistance to Israeli displacement in Masafer Yatta, West Bank.

See Also

For the full CPH:DOX entry with complete details, see CPH:DOX. Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. For documentary filmmaking guidance, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Submit through the CPH:DOX submission portal.