CPH:DOX 2026 has officially begun

The long-awaited documentary “MARIINKA” opened the festival. Over the course of 10 years, the film follows young Ukrainians from the Donbas region both before and after the Russian invasion. The opening took place simultaneously in Copenhagen and in many of the country’s DOX:DANMARK cinemas, which livestreamed the evening to their local audiences.

The choir Ukrainian Soul from Goldschmidt’s Music Academy and Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt opened the event. Afterwards, the evening’s hosts — Managing Director Katrine Kiilgaard and Artistic Director Niklas Engstrøm — took the stage. In their speech, they emphasized, among other things, how important it is that CPH:DOX can place documentary films in a broader context, and that the festival can make space for the difficult conversations that arise when audiences encounter new and different perspectives on the world we live in. Read the full speech here.

Following the world premiere of “MARIINKA,” a conversation took place between the film’s Belgian director Pieter-Jan De Pue, the Ukrainian line producer Anna Konik, and one of the film’s main characters, Nataliia Borodynia. The talk was moderated by Danish Ukraine correspondent Mathilde Kimer.

See a selection of photos from the evening by Ida Guldbæk Arentsen and Kathrine Thude below.

Until March 22, CPH:DOX will fill the city’s cinemas and cultural institutions with more than 200 documentaries, along with a wide range of talks, debates, and encounters between people who each bring their own perspectives on reality. Everyone is welcome! This also applies across the country, where DOX:DANMARK runs until March 25.