CPH:CONFERENCE 2025 announces its program

The Conference this year is curated by Mandy Chang (Former Head of BBC Storyville and Global Documentaries at Fremantle) and will address key challenges and innovative solutions in documentary filmmaking, exploring topics such as AI in non-fiction, immersive storytelling, investigative journalism, and climate justice, offering valuable insights from the industry’s leading voices.

“CPH:CONFERENCE 2025 creates space to explore how documentary filmmaking shapes the world around us. This year it will turn into a hub for bold conversations on AI’s role in storytelling, the challenges of investigative journalism, and using film to advance climate justice. Through hands-on discussions and insights from industry leaders, the Conference promises to spark fresh ideas and equip filmmakers with new tools for telling impactful stories,” says Mara Gourd-Mercado, Head of Industry & Training at CPH:DOX.

“The documentary filmmaking community has an immense sense of shared responsibility and values. It is via platforms like CPH:CONFERENCE where we can come together to discuss the urgent topics in our industry, to spark new ideas and celebrate the power of great stories. Now more than ever we need to work closer in international partnerships to ensure that impactful stories continue to reach audiences globally,” says Donata von Perfall, Managing Director of Documentary Campus. 

After the kick off with the CPH:DOX Summit on March 24, from Tuesday to Thursday the Conference will open each day with ‘A Morning With…’ (March 25-27, 09:30 – 11:00), hosted by Thom Powers, the voice behind the Pure Non-fiction and Documentary of the Week podcasts. Thom will lead in-depth conversations with filmmakers Violet Du Feng (‘The Dating Game’), Sam Soko (‘Matabeleland’), and Mark Cousins (‘The Story of Documentary Film’), discussing their latest work, their careers, and how they navigate the challenges of filmmaking.

The morning sessions conclude with ‘Dialogues’ (March 25-27, 11:30 – 13:00), conversations between filmmakers around a particular area of filmmaking. ‘Dialogues’ offer insights into the creative processes, industry trends, and the evolving role of documentaries in the digital age. In Adaptive Storytelling: Crafting Frameworks for the AI + Automation Era, Mark Atkin (Head of Studies, CPH:LAB) and artist Violeta Ayala (United Notions Film) will explore how AI is reshaping documentary production and storytelling; intimacy coordinator Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup (Bedside Productions), filmmaker Laurits Flensted-Jensen (‘Neon Heart’), and producer Mads Damsbo (Makropol) will lead a session on crafting intimate, co-created narratives in VR, focusing on immersive storytelling and ethical creativity; Olivier Sarbil (‘Viktor’) and Geeta Gandbhir (‘The Perfect Neighbor’) will discuss how they transition to directing from other positions in filmmaking; while Mstyslav Chernov (‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’) and Nathan Grossman (‘Climate in Therapy’) will shed light on the importance of revisiting urgent subjects in a landscape saturated with stories.

The afternoons are packed with panels covering all things industry. The Cost of Exposing Truth to Power, featuring Christo Grozev (Der Spiegel, The Insider), James Jones (‘Antidote’), and Jenny Raskin (Impact Partners), will explore the challenges of investigative journalism in today’s polarized world. Meanwhile, Producing for Success, with Helle Faber (‘Mr Nobody Against Putin’) and Rachel Leah Jones (‘Co-Existence, My Ass!’), will discuss financing and safeguarding independent documentaries, and the responsibility towards the characters integral to the story. Finally, Collaborations & Coalitions, with Keri Putnam (Putnam Pictures), Alexandre Marionneau (ARTE), and Erika Dilday (POV), will cover innovative distribution strategies and sustainable funding models amid shifting media landscapes.

CPH:CONFERENCE 2025 will conclude on March 28 with the ‘Climate Story Lab Nordic’, uniting filmmakers, activists, and policymakers to examine the role of documentaries in driving climate justice. This participatory session synthesizes the climate conversations at the festival and offers the opportunity to contribute to the future of climate storytelling in Nordic media, exploring both creative and practical pathways for impact.

Supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA, Documentary Campus, UBOD, The Danish Producers’ Association, Producers’ Rights Denmark (PRD), Bayerische Staatskanzlei, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, Sächsische Stiftung für Medienausbildung, CPH:CONFERENCE 2025 will be open to all accredited guests, with tickets available for purchase.
Stay tuned for announcements on the full speaker line-up and schedule!

Check out the Conference here.