REBUILD:DEMOCRACY
REPRESENTATION:POWER
With cultural and media industries failing to deliver on promises of diversity and inclusion, artist-activists are taking matters into their own hands. Who has the power to speak up and how can they challenge discrimination along lines of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion and disability?
Programme curated and presented in partnership with 
15:00
Envision the Future! Representation, Power and Youth
Diverse on-screen representation has been shown to have a powerful social impact, especially for young people. What is the state of on-screen representation today? How can data encourage more authentic portrayals for a more diverse and empowered audiovisual industry?
Speakers
Yalda T. Uhls, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Scholars & Storytellers, UCLA, USA
15:15
Inside/Outside: Storytelling, Gaze and Power in Documentary Filmmaking
In documentary filmmaking, the question of who gets to be behind the camera is of critical importance. How can we interrogate our respective insider or outsider positions and find concrete ways to center marginalized storytellers and protagonists and contest the white, cis heteronormative gaze?
Speakers
Moderator: B. Ruby Rich, Editor in Chief, Film Quarterly; Professor Emerita, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
Ousmane Samassekou, Director, The Last Shelter, Mali
Signe Byrge Sørensen, Producer, Final Cut for Real, Denmark
Nefise Özkal Lorentzen, Director, Integral Film; Associate Professor, The faculty of Audiovisual Media and Creative Technologies at Innland University, Norway
16:10
The Power to Speak: A Filmmakers' Perspective
It’s more than time to critically reflect on diversity and inclusion in our industry. How can we secure power and autonomy for marginalised groups at every stage of the storytelling process? Filmmakers share their own experience and inspire us to take meaningful inclusion to the next level.
Speakers
James LeBrecht, Director & Writer, Crip Camp, USA
Nicole Newnham, Director & Writer, Crip Camp, USA
16:30
Case Studies in Radical Representation
In these four parallel Ask Me Anything breakout sessions, directors of CPH:DOX-featured films come together with participants to share key challenges and lessons learned, explore the themes of representation and justice, while reflecting on what it means to create social and political impact through documentary filmmaking.
Speakers
Moderator: Anna Desponds, The Catalysts, Germany
Shelly Silver, Director, Girls | Museum, USA
Mira Kremers, Protagonist, Girls | Museum, Germany
Moderator: Danielle Kourtesis, Programmer, Rooftop Films, USA/Germany
Han Yan Yuen, Director, When a City Rises, Hong Kong
Cathy Chu, Director, When a City Rises, Hong Kong
Moderator: Melissa Vey, The Catalysts, Germany
Rintu Thomas, Director, Writing with Fire, India
Sushmit Ghosh, Director, Writing with Fire, India
Suneeta Prajapati, Senior Reporter, Khabar Lahariya, India
Moderator: Yolanda Rother, Co-Founder of The Impact Company, Germany
Seyran Ateş, Seyran Ateş: Sex, Revolution and Islam, Germany
Nefise Özkal Lorentzen, Director, Integral Film; Associate Professor, The faculty of Audiovisual Media and Creative Technologies at Innland University, Norway
17:05
From Gatekeepers to Allies? Institutions & Inclusion in the Industry
Access to funding, diversity on juries, selection criteria… there is still much work to be done at the institutional level. What actions can institutions, curators and programmers take to radically and meaningfully make space for diverse perspectives in their organisations, programs and projects?
Speakers
Moderator: AC Coppens, Founder, The Catalysts, Germany
Carrie Lozano, Head of Documentary Film Program, Sundance Institute, USA
Melanie Hoyes, Industry Inclusion Executive at British Film Institute; Europe Council Lead, Geena Davis Institute, UK
Lana Garland, Festival Director, Hayti Heritage Film Festival; Filmmaker, Insibah Media, USA
17:35
Taking on Power: Collaboration, Platforms and Tools for Inclusivity
Who writes, produces and distributes stories, and about whom? Building an inclusive and just audiovisual industry is a collective effort. From storytelling to production, and distribution to access, how are independent initiatives helping bring representation on screen, and with it, the industry forward?
Speakers
Moderator: AC Coppens, Founder, The Catalysts, Germany
Faraz Shariat, Director, Jünglinge, Germany
Seneit Debese, CEO & Founder, Greta & Starks Apps GmbH, Germany
Roisin Tapponi, Founder, Shasha Movies, Habibi Collective, Iraq/Ireland
Donald Young, Director of Programs, Center for Asian American Media, USA
18:15
Reconnect! Networking with Speakers and Festival Friends
In this informal networking session, we celebrate reconnection within the documentary filmmaking community and beyond. Reflect on the day’s discussions and films with fellow participants and speakers, catch up with colleagues, or take the opportunity to network with new faces you’ve seen throughout the day.
Co-curator & Host of the day
AC Coppens
Founder, The Catalysts, FR/DE
AC is a strategist, conference curator, host, moderator & speaker. They founded The Catalysts, a multi-disciplinary agency based in Berlin, investigating new developments across emerging tech, scientific research, politics, arts and culture. Informed by critical perspectives and a narrative approach, they design programs and scout speakers to create thought-provoking experiences.