CPH:DOX, also known as Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, has unveiled its full program for the 23rd edition (March 11-22), which features 200 new films, including 86 world premieres, 25 international premieres and 10 European premieres.
The DOX:AWARD main competition lineup features strongly anticipated world premieres, such as the festival’s opening film by Pieter-Jan De Pue, “Mariinka,” “Amazomania” by Nathan Grossman and “Whispers in May” by Dongnan Chen.
Special premieres include world premieres by James Jones (“Fukushima”), Omar Shargawi (“Palestinian Unwanted”), Michael Loeken and Ulrike Franke (“Watching People Watching Birds”) and Dan Vernon (“The Spy Next Door”), including anticipated international premieres such as Daniel Roher’s “The AI Doc: How I Became an Apocaloptimist.”
Special guests include John Wilson with his debut feature “The History of Concrete,” alongside Juliette Binoche with her directorial debut “In-I In Motion” and Louis Theroux with his latest film “The Settlers,” Biljana Tutorov with the 2026 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize winner “To Hold a Mountain,” Sara Dosa (“Time and Water”), Sébastien Lifshitz (“A Very Good Boy”), Bea Wangondu (“Kikuyu Land”), Maite Alberdi (“A Child of my Own”), and Alisa Kovalenko (“Traces”).
A Double Take on a World Gone Mad
From the Arctic to the Amazon, Gaza to Greenland and Kyiv to the Kremlin, CPH:DOX spans the full alphabet of a world in flux. The festival brings urgent reports from the world’s geopolitical boiling points with critical inquiries into AI disruption, Big Tech, oligarchs, and the battle for freedom of expression, while also tackling the accelerating climate crisis, neurotechnology’s ethical frontiers, and the fragile state of democracy itself.
At the centre of this year’s program are two main thematic programs: “Right Here, Right Now,” which examines human and civil rights in a world where rules and freedoms are increasingly contested, and “Brain Waves,” which explores the brain, consciousness and the ways technology is reshaping human experience.
Artistic director Niklas Engstrøm says, “In a world spinning out of control, where speed and distraction dominate, documentary film is more essential than ever – because it slows us down, helps us see complexity, and allows us to grasp what matters. At CPH:DOX 2026, we take a double look: at the outer world order, under political and social upheaval, and at the inner world order of our brains, reshaped by AI, algorithms, and neurotechnology.”
Right Here, Right Now
The major thematic program “Right Here, Right Now” returns with a focus on human rights, civil rights and international rights in a world where the rules suddenly seem negotiable. The program consists of 30 films representing the 30 human rights, alongside a major exhibition at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, the thematic stage SOCIETY:CINEMA at Pressen (Politikens Hus), and a large debate and event program. As part of the theme, CPH:DOX presents a Human:Rights Award to a new film with a special focus on human rights.
New Science-Themed Focus: ‘Brain Waves’
CPH:DOX 2026 introduces “Brain Waves,” a major thematic program exploring the brain, the mind and consciousness at a time when technology is reshaping what it means to be human.
The program features world premieres such as “Intelligence Rising,” in which technologists, generals and philosophers engage in a bold wargame to explore how AI might reshape global power; “Conscious,” a reflective investigation into awareness and dementia research; “Menopause Mystery,” a personal and revealing exploration of women’s mental health and hormonal change; and the live-documentary performance “Brains in the State of Suspension,” a provocative work challenging notions of embodiment and intelligence.
The lineup also includes contributions from internationally recognized researchers such as Anil Seth and Nicholas Wright. “Brain Waves” invites audiences to engage with some of the most profound questions of the 21st‑century mind.
Sound and Vision: Music at CPH:DOX
CPH:DOX once again presents a dedicated music program, combining documentaries with live experiences. This year’s selection includes portrait documentaries about Nick Cave, Marianne Faithfull, Judas Priest, Boy George & Culture Club, Sun Ra Arkestra, and Danish artist Lydmor, alongside more genre-driven films about funk, folk, Arctic music traditions, postcolonial Irish music, and classical child musicians.
Exhibitions at Festival Center and Festival Stages
Kunsthal Charlottenborg serves as CPH:DOX’s long-standing festival center, with screenings, debates, industry activities and social events. There guests of the festival can experience the CPH:DOX Inter:Active exhibition focusing on immersive non-fiction under the theme “Hypervigilance,” curated by CPH:LAB’s head of studies, Mark Atkin (March 11-22).
Visitors of Kunsthal Charlottenborg can also experience the solo exhibition by Polish artist and activist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, “Pani, so tradeł” (“Water that Wanders”) (March 12-Aug. 16), curated by Henriette Bretton-Meyer.
CPH:DOX also presents three main stages that spotlight society, science and art: Science:Cinema at Nørrebro Teater (March 13-15), Society:Cinema at Pressen, Politikens Hus (March 17-19), and Art:Cinema at SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst (March 20-22).
CPH:DOX Outside of Copenhagen
During the festival, films and events take place across Copenhagen and nationwide through the festival’s long-standing initiative Dox:Danmark, which in 2026 includes 61 municipalities – a record number. Dox:Danmark also presents more than 400 screenings around the country from March 10-25, with many screenings accompanied by talks, filmmaker visits, shared dinners, community events and more.
After the physical festival, CPH:DOX continues online on the festival’s own streaming platform PARA:DOX on paradox.dk from March 20-April 5, where a curated selection of films can be rented individually (geo-blocked to Denmark).
English (US) ·