BREAKTHROUGH DRINKS

Mara Gourd-Mercado is an Argentinean-Canadian arts manager, specializing in film, television and digital media. She was Executive Director of the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) from 2015 to 2020 and Executive Director of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television – Quebec section from 2021 to 2023. Mara is now Head of Industry & Training at CPH:DOX.

Mads K. Mikkelsen is Head of Programme at CPH:DOX – Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. He also runs various parallel screening series and cinema clubs, teaches film history at the Danish Film School, and is a frequent contributor to national and international magazines and publications about film.

Senior programmer IDFA (2000-2019), Guest Programmer Nordisk Panorama (2020), Programmer Mirage (2021-2023). Working for Eurimages, MDAG. Worked for Sheffield DocFest, Ji.hlava, Docs Ireland, Dutch Cultural Media Fund. Currently Documentary Consulting & Moderation for e u R O P E doconsultancy.

Lucie is Commissioning Editor on Storyville, the BBC’s landmark international documentary strand where she commissions a diverse and distinctive slate of feature documentaries from around the world. A mentor, judge and expert panelist, she is currently also a member of the EBU documentary board.

Master’s degree in Film and Law. Worked on international documentary for the last 25 years (commissioning, acquisitions etc.) Previous Head of Sales at TV 2 WORLD and Head of Industry at CPH:DOX Recent films: A New Kind of Wilderness, Praying for Armageddon, A Storm Foretold, The Mole, Last Men in Aleppo.; Master’s degree in Film and Law. Worked on international documentary for the last 25 years (commissioning, acquisitions etc.) Previous Head of Sales at TV 2 WORLD and Head of Industry at CPH:DOX Recent films: A New Kind of Wilderness, Praying for Armageddon, A Storm Foretold, The Mole, Last Men in Aleppo.

As part of FIFTH SEASON's acquisitions team, I specialize in sourcing exceptional scripted and non-scripted projects. Our focus includes distribution, financing, and production. Excited to connect with filmmakers at CPH:DOX festival, to discuss how we can help bring your films to a global audience.

Jane supports emerging documentary-makers to shape their stories through The Whickers. She is also a mentor and executive producer for feature documentaries. She was UK MD of Al Gore’s documentary channel Current and Executive Editor, BBC London before working for Discovery, Turner and UKTV.

The IDFA Bertha Fund provides several funding opportunities to visionary documentary projects from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania, including through international coproductions with European producers, and other year-round support schemes. Selin Murat is the executive director of IBF.

Dominic Davis joined the Sundance Institute in 2022 as Manager of the Documentary Fund. He previously programmed for the American Museum of Natural History, Tribeca and Rooftop Films and reviewed applications for Catapult and Creative Capital and managed the Rooftop Films Fund.

Producer Sigrid Dyekjær has produced more than 60 documentary films during the last 24 years. She is Oscar nominated in 2020 for the film The Cave, and has won 2 Emmy´s for best producer and 2 Peabody Awards - The Territory and The Cave. This years CPH:DOXs premieres: Lowland Kids and VIKTOR.

Tomoko Okutsu started working for NHK in 1992 as a TV programme director. She is currently commissioning editor of NHK’s international co-production and acquisition slots on factual contents for NHK’s Terrestrial and Satellite channels.

Arianna has a twelve year experience in Documentary sales having previously served as sales executive at Wide House and Upside Distribution. In 2016 ago she joins Mediawan Rights where she spearheads the documentary division focusing on sales, financing and co-production of both Feature and TV docs.

Kasper is a documentary film producer with a varied background and a solid experience from the film industry both in terms of financing, producing and the creative development of documentaries. He is affiliated as producer at the Copenhagen-based company Elk Film and Elk Development.

Based in Copenhagen. Her film ONLY ON EARTH (2025) premiered at this year’s Berlinale after receiving the Cannes Marché du Film Docs-in-Progress Award 2024. Her feature-length debut FROM THE WILD SEA (2021) also premiered at the Berlinale. Alumna of Doc Nomads, Berlinale Talents, Sundance Institute.; Based in Copenhagen. Her film ONLY ON EARTH (2025) premiered at this year’s Berlinale after receiving the Cannes Marché du Film Docs-in-Progress Award 2024. Her feature-length debut FROM THE WILD SEA (2021) also premiered at the Berlinale. Alumna of Doc Nomads, Berlinale Talents, Sundance Institute.

Signe Skov Thomsen is a producer at the Copenhagen-based documentary production company Hansen & Pedersen. She holds a Master's degree in Comparative Literature and is an alumna of both EAVE Producers Workshop and IDFAcademy. Her recent films include INTO THE ICE (2022) and ONLY ON EARTH (2025).

Documentary filmmaker, curator, teacher and publisher, former Dean of the film school FAMU from 2020 to 2024. Since 2002 connected with the Ji.hlava IDFF as a part of the management and curator of the experimental documentary sections and the program of films and installations in virtual reality.

Founder of OTOXO Productions. Director of award-winning feature doc 'Unbound' (DocsBarcelona, FIPADOC, Reframe Film Festival). Directing and producing for The Guardian, TV3, RakutenTV, BTV, El Pais. Developing emerging talent with Sheffield DocFest, CPH:DOX, DocsBarcelona, King’s College London.

Tracie Holder is a producer & U.S. film funding specialist. She leads workshops, tutors & serves on juries at int'l pitching & training sessions. Holder is widely regarded as a “go-to” person for filmmakers seeking U.S. funding having raised more than $3 million in grants for her own projects.