Following the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, CPH:DOX documentary film festival in Copenhagen has shown its support for and solidarity with the Ukrainian film industry via a new cash-prize and two industry events.
A special Eurimages Development Award will go to one of the Ukrainian projects selected to participate in the CPH:FORUM, the financing and co-production event held during CPH:DOX. The selected project will come with a cash-prize of €20,000 provided by the Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund. The new prize is an addition to the long-standing Eurimages Co-Production Development Award of €20,000 for the best pitch, that will be awarded for the tenth year running.
Of the 34 projects selected for the CPH:FORUM, four Ukrainian productions or co-productions are eligible for the new prize: “Bit of a Stranger,” “Cuba & Alaska,” “Memo ’94” and “Red Zone.”
Niklas Engstrøm, artistic director of CPH:DOX, said: “We see our festival as an agora that brings people together to have conversations around films, projects and the larger matters they represent and revolve around. At a time when democracy is questioned globally, the tenacious Ukrainian fight is a reminder that democracy rests on the courage to insist on equality, freedom and truth. That’s a message of hope, and a duty for all of us.”
In addition to the new kudo, CPH:DOX will dedicate the last day of the CPH:CONFERENCE, an industry event featuring panel discussion and Q&As, to film and democracy. The program for the day, March 24, will feature discussions with several Ukrainian filmmakers including Alisa Kovalenko, who was recently awarded for her voluntary military service on the eastern frontline. Kovalenko captured her frontline efforts and turned it into a docu titled “We Will Not Fade Away,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 22.
Additionally, following the European premiere of Mstyslav Chernov’s Ukrainian-based docu “20 Days in Mariupol,” on March 16, there will be a panel discussion featuring the Red Cross’ secretary general Anders Ladekarl and International Media Support’s regional director Gulnara Akhundova about the status of emergency aid efforts and security risks in the Ukraine.
CPH:DOX runs in Copenhagen March 15-26. CPH:FORUM runs March 21-23.
