Ai Weiwei Title ‘Animality’ Set For CPH:DOX — Full Lineup 

Animality, the latest screen work from Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, is among the titles that will world premiere at this year’s CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. 

The festival, which runs March 19-30, released its 2025 competition lineups this morning. Across its six categories, the festival will feature 94 world premieres. The theme of this year’s festival is “human rights and the rules-based international order.” 

World premieres include films about Israel and Palestine, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the rise of the far-right across Europe, identity politics, art, and activism. High-profile visitors set for the festival include Ai Weiwei, Ukrainian feminist activist Inna Shevchenko, investigative journalist and whistleblower Christo Grozev, musician Warren Ellis, comedian Jerrod Carmichael, and Adam Kinzinger. 

Main competition titles include Alisa Kovalenko’s My Dear Theo, Thomas Balmés’ À demain sur la Lune, Artur Franck’s The Helsinki Effect, and this year’s opening film Facing War by Tommy Gulliksen.

World premieres out of competition include the brand new film by Weiwei’s Animality, Ian Cheney’s Observer, Lost for Words by Hannah Papacek Harper, Everest Dark by Jereme Watt, and Azza by Stefanie Brockhaus.

“It is very exciting to share a competition lineup that truly represents documentary as an art form made for the cinema,” Mads K. Mikkelsen, Head of Program of CPH:DOX, said in a statement. “CPH:DOX is about celebrating documentaries and the people who make them, and programming this year’s festival has been a journey rich with discoveries. We are deeply grateful to the filmmakers and look forward to seeing their films light up the screens soon.”

Check out the full lineup below. 

DOX:AWARD:

À demain sur la lune
(Director: Thomas Balmès, Producer: Thomas Balmès / France, USA / World Premiere)

Agatha’s Almanac
(Director: Amalie Atkins, Producer: Amalie Atkins / Canada / World Premiere)

Always
(Director: Deming Chen, Producer: Hansen Lin / USA, France, China / World Premiere) 

Balane 3
(Director: Ico Costa, Producer: Terratreme Filmes / Portugal, France / World Premiere)

Facing War
(Director: Tommy Gulliksen, Producers: Anne Marte Blindheim, Danielle Turkov Wilson / Norway, Belgium / World Premiere)

Flophouse America
(Director: Monica Strømdahl, Producer: Breathe Hofseth, Siri Natvik / Norway, The Netherlands, USA / World Premiere)

My Dear Theo
(Director: Alisa Kovalenko, Producer: Kasia Kuczynska / Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine / World Premiere) 

Sanatorium
(Director, Gar O’Rourke, Producer: Andrew Freedman, Samantha Corr, Ken Wardop / Ireland, Ukraine, France / World Premiere)

The Castle
(Directors: Danny Biancardi, Virginia Nardelli, Stefano La Rosa, Producers: Nadège Labé, Giulia Campagna, Stefano Collizzolli / France, Italy / World Premiere)

The Father, The Sons and The Holy Spirit
(Director: Christian Sønderby Jepsen, Producer: Mira Jargil / Denmark / World Premiere)

The Helsinki Effect
(Director: Arthur Franck, Producers: Sandra Enkvist, Arthur Franck, Oskar Forstén, Stefan Kloos, Anja Dziersk, Thorvald Nilsen / Finland, Germany, Norway / World Premiere)

We Live Here
(Director: Zhanana Kurmasheva, Producer: Banu Ramazanova / Kazakhstan / World Premiere)

NEW:VISION AWARD:

All These Summers
(Director: Therese Henningsen, Producer: Therese Henningsen / UK, Denmark / World Premiere)

Available Light
(Director: Morgan Quaintance, Producer: Morgan Quaintance / UK / World Premiere)

City Child
(Director: Austin Lynch, Producer: Austin Lynch, Andro Steinbron / USA, Germany / World Premiere)

Fear Fokol
(Director: Tuva Björk, Producer: Dennis Harvey  / Sweden, International Premiere)

Green Grey Black Brown
(Director: Yuyan Wang, Producer: Yuyan Wang / South Korea, France, China / World Premiere)

Illiyeen
(Director: Eliyah Mesayer, Nanna Rebekka, Producer: Rebekka Laugesen / Denmark / World Premiere)

Images de Tunisie
(Director: Younes Ben Slimane, Producer: Jane Pavitt, Younes Ben Slimane / UK, Tunisia / World Premiere)

International Satan’s Day
(Director: Raed Yassin, Producer: Raed Yassin / Lebanon / World Premiere)

Melted into the Sun
(Director: Saodat Ismailova, Producer: Leonardo Bigazzi / Uzbekistan, Italy, Portugal / World Premiere)

Perishable Idol
(Director: Majid Al-Remaihi, Producer: Le Fresnoy: François Bonenfant / France, Kuwait, Qatar / World Premiere)

Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 
(Director: Juliette Le Monnyer, Producer: Juliette Le Monnyer, Ellen Meiresonne / Belgium / World Premiere)  

Scrap 
(Director: Noémie Lobry, Producer: Marion Darrieux / France / European Premiere)  

Sinking Latitude 
(Director: Jiawei Zheng, Producer: Jiawei Zheng /Denmark, China / World Premiere)  

Songbook 
(Director: Mariah Garnett, Producers: Mariah Garnett, Jibz Cameron / USA / World Premiere)  

Siticulosa 
(Director: Maeve Brennan, Producers: Maeve Brennan, Ali Roche / UK, Denmark / World Premiere) 

Time Paradox 
(Director: Minha Park, Producer: Minha Park / South Korea / World Premiere)  

Unstable Rocks 
(Director: Ewelina Rosinska, Producers: Ewelina Rosinska, Nuno Barroso / Germany, Portugal / International Premiere)

NEXT:WAVE AWARD:

50 Meters 
(Director: Yomna Khattab, Producers: Ahmed Amer, Patricia Drati / Egypt, Denmark / World Premiere)  

Abode of Dawn 
(Director: Kristina Shtubert, Producer: Kristina Shtubert / Germany / International Premiere)  

Copan 
(Director: Carine Wallauer, Producers: Viviane Mendonça, Camilo Cavalcanti, Nabil Bellahsene, Justin Pechberty / Brazil, France / World Premiere)  

Fantastic Family 
(Director: Nicoline Skotte, Producer: Vibeke Vogel / Denmark / World Premiere)  

I am Night at Noonday 
(Director: Gaspard Hirschi, Producer: Quentin Laurent / France / International Premiere)

ILOVERUSS 
(Director: Tova Mozard, Producers: Daniel Pynnönen, Alice Sunnelius Aldén / Sweden / World Premiere)  

Latina, Latina 
(Director: Adrian Duncan, Producer: Adrian Duncan / Ireland / International Premiere)  

Open Call 
(Director: Sille Storihle, Producer: Sille Storihle / Norway / World Premiere)  

The Golden Spurtle 
(Director: Constantine Costi, Producers: Rebecca Lamond, John Archer / UK, Australia / World Premiere)  

Red Forest 
(Director: Laurie Lassalle, Producer: Frédéric Féraud / France / World Premiere)

Unanimal 
(Directors: Sally Jacobson, Tuva Bjork, Producers: Victor Ede, Melissa Lindgren / Sweden, France / World Premiere)  

Who Witnessed the Temples Fall 
(Director: Lucia Selva, Producers: Guillem Mula Blanch, Alejandro González Clemente, Daniel Peña, Irene M. Borrego / Spain / World Premiere)

NORDIC:DOX AWARD:

Fighter 
(Directors: Sunniva Sundby, Mari Bakke Riise, Producer: Mari Bakke Riise / Norway / International Premiere)  

If I Die Today 
(Director: Camilla Arlien, Producer: Marie Schmidt Olesen / Denmark / World Premiere)  

The Nicest Men on Earth  
(Directors: Josefine Exner, Sebastian Gerdes, Producer: Mathilde Hvid Lippmann / Denmark / World Premiere)  

Portrait of a Confused Father
(Director: Gunnar Hall Jensen, Producers: Christian Aune Falch, Torstein Parelius / Norway / World Premiere)  

Lowland Kids 
(Director: Sandra Winther, Producers: William Crouse, Lauren Avinoam, Lizzie Gillett, Brendan Naylor, Sigrid Dyekjær, Darren Aronofsky / Denmark, USA / World Premiere)  

The Ground Beneath Our Feet  
(Director: Yrsa Roca Fannberg, Producer: Hanna Björk Valsdóttir / Iceland, Poland / World Premiere)  

The Last Misfits by The Golden River 
(Director: Juho-Pekka Tanskanen, Producer: Isabella Karhu / Finland / World Premiere)  

The Sequel to Summer Rain 
(Director: Viktor Johansson, Producer: Linus Andersson / Sweden / International Premiere)  

Walls – Akinni Inuk 
(Directors: Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg, Sofie Rørdam, Producer: Emile Hertling Péronard / Greenland / World Premiere)  

Witch 
(Director: Emil Nørgaard Munk, Producers: Thor Hampus Bank, Emil Lynge Johnsen / Denmark / World Premiere)  

Zlatan’s Nose 
(Directors: Nils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg, Olle Toftenow, Producer: Olle Toftenow / Sweden / World Premiere)

F:ACT AWARD:

2000 Meters to Andriivka 
(Director: Mstyslav Chernov, Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath / Ukraine / European Premiere)  

Antidote 
(Director: James Jones, Producer: James Jones / UK / World Premiere of new and updated version)  

K-Number 
(Director: Seyoung Jo, Producer: Dukjoong Kim / South Korea / International Premiere)  

Men of War 
(Directors: Jen Gatien, Billy Corben, Producers: Alfred Spellman, Jen Gatien, Billy Corben / USA, Canada / European Premiere)  

Predators 
(Director: David Osit, Producers: Kellen Quinn, Jamie Gonçalves / USA / International Premiere)  

The End of the Internet 
(Director: Dylan Reibling, Producer: Dylan Reibling / Canada / World Premiere)  

The Eukrainian 
(Director: Viktor Nordenskiöld, Producers: Christian Popp, Malcolm Dixelius, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Sergio Ghizzardi / Sweden, France, Ukraine, Belgium / World Premiere)  

The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy 
(Director: Håvard Bustnes, Producers: Carsten Aanonsen, Håvard Bustnes / Norway, Germany, UK / World Premiere)  

The Last Ambassador 
(Director: Natalie Halla, Producers: Peter Drössler, Arash T. Riahi, Sabine Gruber / Austria / World Premiere)  

The Perfect Neighbor 
(Director: Geeta Gandbhir, Producers: Geeta Gandbhir, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee / USA / International Premiere)

HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD:

9-Month Contract 
(Director: Ketevan Vashagashvili, Producers: Anna Khazaradze, Nino Chichua, Martichka Bozhilova, Sylvia Nagel / Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany / World Premiere)  

2000 Meters to Andriivka 
(Director: Mstyslav Chernov, Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath / Ukraine / European Premiere)  

Black Water 
(Director: Natxo Leuza, Producer: Lucía Benito / Spain / World Premiere)  

Girls & Gods 
(Directors: Verena Soltiz, Arash T. Riahi, Producers: Arash T. Riahi, Peter Drössler, Sabine Gruber, Sarah Schiesser, Rhea Plangg, Amel Soudani / Austria / World Premiere)  

Little Syria 
(Directors: Madalina Rosca, Reem Karssli, Producers: Paul Arne Wagner, Madalina Rosca / Portugal, Romania, Germany / World Premiere)  

Matabeleland 
(Director: Nyasha Kadandara, Producer: Sam Soko / Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana / World Premiere)  

Moria Six 
(Director: Jennifer Mallmann, Producer: Matthias Drescher / Germany / International Premiere)  

The Dialogue Police 
(Director: Susanna Edwards, Producer: Susanna Edwards / Sweden / International Premiere)  

The Encampments
(Directors: Michael T. Workman, Kei Pritsker, Producers: Matthew Belen, Munir Atalla, Kei Pritsker, Michael T. Workman / USA / World Premiere)  

The Lions By The River Tigris 
(Director: Zaradasht Ahmed, Producers: Thorvald Nilsen, Harmen Jalvingh, Hester Breunissen / Norway, Netherlands / World Premiere)