Max Kestner’s ‘Life and Other Problems’ will be the opening film at CPH:DOX 2024

‘Life and Other Problems’ will have its world premiere during CPH:DOX, which runs from March 13-24, 2024. In addition to being the festival’s opening film, it is also nominated for the festival’s main prize, DOX:AWARD – an award for the best and most important new films.

Niklas Engstrøm, Artistic Director for CPH:DOX, says:

“‘Life and Other Problems’ is an eternally relevant story about the value of life and the quest to make sense of one’s own – and all of our – existence. With his new film, Max Kestner has created a deeply personal tour de force through the scientific answers to what we know about life, fir trees, animal rights activists, and just how much imagination a Chinese giant salamander really has. It has become nothing short of a fantastic film that challenges our worldview, stimulates both the mind and the funny bone, and leaves one wiser and almost euphoric – about life, if you will.”

10 years ago, the news that Marius the giraffe was put down by the Copenhagen Zoo went viral all the way from Hollywood to Chechnya. But it was also the first domino to fall in the wild thicket of existential questions asked by Max Kestner in his new, joyously adventurous film. What is life? Does consciousness exist? Where does love come from? And not least: How is everything connected – like, really? With curiosity and an open mind, Kestner embarks on a philosophical voyage around the world to look for answers to his questions. With contributions from scientists like Charles Foster and Eske Willerslev, every answer sparks three new questions. And yet, throughout the journey, we do gain insight into the great and small workings of the universe. What could have ended up as the most (self-)important picture of all time has instead turned into a funny, creative and completely unpredictable experience.

“I imagine that we can choose between two views of life. One sees life as predictable and our actions as predetermined. The other sees life as unpredictable, precisely because our choices are not predetermined, but influenced by our consciousness, our experience of being ourselves. The film is in pursuit of the latter. It is a treasure hunt, a search for hope that our actions are always full of meaning,” states the director of the film Max Kestner.

 

‘Life and Other Problems’ is produced by Vibeke Vogel, Bullitt Film in co-production with Hopscotch Films (UK) and Plattform Produktion (SE). With support from TV 2 Danmark, The Danish Filminstitut, The Swedish Filminstitut, UK Global Screen Fund, Screen Scotland, Creative Europe, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and NRK and SVT.