New feature documentaries from Honeyland director Ljubomir Stefanov and Ascension filmmaker Jessica Kingdon are among the 33 projects selected for CPH:Forum, the financing and co-production market of Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX, March 15-26).
Macedonian filmmaker Stefanov is presenting House of Earth, about a transgender sex worker who returns to her Roma community after 30 years on the run, only to be torn between her biological kin and her chosen queer family. The Macedonian-US co-production is produced by Maya E. Rudolph and Sarah D’hanens, with funding from Louverture Films and private equity.
Scroll down for the full list of projects
Honeyland, which Stefanov co-directed with Tamara Kotevska, was nominated for two Oscars in 2020 – best international feature and best documentary.
Chinese-American director Kingdon received her own best documentary Oscar nomination last year, for Ascension. Her CPH:Forum entry, currently untitled and labelled an ‘animal project’, explores how consumer industries affect various species, with a focus on the idea of animal sentience.
Produced by Jamie Goncalves and Nathan Truesdell for Shrimp Mantis Shrimp, the US title received backing from the Sundance Institute and Sandbox Films’ documentary fund in October.
Further Forum projects include UK-France co-production Douglas Gordon: Self Divided from Time Trial director Finlay Pretsell, about the Turner Prize-winning artist; and Dreamscape, from Ousmane Samassekou, who won the main Dox:Award international competition prize at CPH:DOX 2021 with The Last Shelter.
CPH:Forum will run from March 21-23; it will present a €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award to the best pitch.
WIP, Change
The CPH:Work-in-Progress selection has expanded from six to eight titles, searching for gap financing or a launch pad for distribution.
The titles include The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Yrsa Roca Fannberg, depicting the rituals of elderly people in Iceland’s oldest operating nursing home, Grund. It was shot on 16mm by Fannberg, who has worked as a nurse at the home for 12 years.
The CPH industry section will also have the final residential workshop of the second edition of the Change co-production training programme, featuring projects from Eastern European countries.
Both the Work-in-Progress selection and Change projects will present on Monday, March 20. Companies confirmed to attend the CPH industry platform include Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Studios, ZDF, BBC, Participant, A24 and the Sundance Institute.
“In a time of increasing polarisation and radicalisation of society, it’s inspiring to see filmmakers having complicated, nuanced conversations around such timely issues as the legacy of colonialism, inequality and free speech, but also cancel culture and the role of activism, arts and science in today’s society,” said Tereza Simikova, head of industry and training at CPH:DOX. ”Remarkably, they find also a great deal of hope, humor and beauty while doing so.”
CPH 2023 industry projects
CPH:Forum
#WhileBlack (US), dirs. Sidney Fussell, Samantha Knowles; prods. Ann Shin, Geeta Gandbhir
Almost Human (Nor-Den) dir. Ola Waagen; prods. Bjarte Mørner Tveit, Peter Engel
Confidential (US-Den) dir. anonymous; prods. Sigrid Dyekjær, Ross Levine
Conscious (UK) dir. Suki Chan; prod. Aimara Reques
Cuba&Alaska (Ukr-Fr) dir. Yegor Troyanovsky; prods. Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Christian Popp
Douglas Gordon: Self Divided (UK-Fr) dir. Finlay Pretsell; prod. Sonja Henrici
Dreams Of A Dark Sky (India) dir. Anmol Tikoo; prod. Raghu Karnad
Evo: The Burnt Palace (US-Arg) dirs. Martin Sivak, Noah Friedman-Rudovsky; prods. Justine Nagan, Irene Cajias
Far From Maine (Isr-Fr-Pal) dir. Roy Cohen; prods. Roy Cohen, Serge Cordey
Generation (Den-UK) dir. David Borenstein; prod. Helle Faber
Give It A Shot (India-US) dir. Vaishali Sinha; prods. Hemang Chheda, Tracie Holder, Jessica Harrop, Greg Boustead
House Of Earth (Mac-US) dir. Ljubomir Stefanov; prods. Maya E. Rudolph, Sarah D’hanens
Intercepted (Can-Fr-Ukr) dir. Oksana Karpvych, prod. Giacomo Nudi
Once Upon A Time In A Forest (Fin) dir. Virpi Suutari; prod. Virpi Suutari
Only On Earth (Den-Spa) dir. Robin Petré; prods. Signe Skov Thomsen, Malene Flindt Pedersen
Opening Night (Swe) dirs. Aron Skoog, John Skoog; prods. Aron Skoog, John Skoog
Our Love (Swe-Fin-Den) dirs. Hannah Reinkikainen, Lia Hietala; prod. Melissa Lindgren
Dreamscape (Fr-Mali) dir. Ousmane Samassekou; prods. Estelle Robin You, Andrey S Diarra
Part Of Society (Geo) dir. Rati Tsiteladze; prod. Olga Slusareva
Red Zone (Ukr) dir. Iryna Tsilyk; prod. Darya Bassel
Second World, Second Sex (Cze) dir. Mila Turajlić; prod. Carine Chichkowsky
The Dawn Of The Post Plantation (Neth-Den) dir. Renzo Martens, prod. Lea Fels
The Eukranian (Swe-Fr-Ukr) dir. Viktor Nordenskiöld; prods. Viktor Nordenskiöld, Christian Popp, Olga Beskhmelnytsina
The Infinite Rehearsal (UK-Guy) dir. Louis Henderson; prod. Luke Moody, Romola Lucas
The Lions At The River Tigris (Nor) dir. Ahmed Zaradasht; prod. Thorvald Nilsen
The Menopause Mystery (Den) dir. Louise Unmack Kjeldsen; prod. Malene Flindt Pedersen
The Production Of The World (Can-US) dir. Brett Story; prod. Jeff Reichert
Truth.com (Fin-Bul) dir. Tonislav Hristov; prod. Kaarle Aho
Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (UK-Den) dir. Jacob Perlmutter; prod. Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Untitled Animal Project (US) dir. Jessica Kingdon; prods. Nathan Truesdell, Jamie Goncalves
Untitled Dwarfism Project (US) dir. Julie Forrest Wyman; prods. Lindsey Dryden, Jonna McKone
Voice/over (Hun) dir. Balint Revesz; prod. Viki Reka Kiss
We Have Always Lived In The End Times (Den) dir. Ben Russell; prod. Guillaume Cailleau
CPH:Work-in-Progress
Adil (Nor-Neth) dirs. Adil Khan, Julian Nazario Vargas; prods. Eirik Smidesang Slåen, Elisabeth Opdal
Before The Storm (Den) dirs. Juan Palacios, Sofie Husum Johannesen; prod. Kasper Lykke Schultz
Fighting Demons With Dragons (Den) dir. Camilla Magid; prod. Heidi Elise Christensen
Phantoms Of Sierra Madre (Nor-Fin) dir. Havard Bustnes; prods. Christian Aune Falch, Håvard Bustnes
Testament (Ken-US-Por-Ger) dirs. Zippy Kimundu, Meena Nanji; prods. Zippy Kimundu, Meena Nanji, Eliane Ferreira
The Animated Mind Of Oliver Sacks (US-UK) dir. Dempsey Rice; prod. Lori Cheatle
The Ground Beneath Our Feet (Ice-Pol) dir. Yrsa Roca Fannberg; prod. Hanna Björk Valsdóttir
Confidential (US)
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