How CPH:DOX Became One of the Most Influential Documentary Events of the Year

variety.com:

Addie Morfoot Contributor When CPH:DOX shifted from a fall festival to a spring-based fest in 2017, it got out of IDFA’s shadow and grew into one of the most influential documentary events of the year. “It made a big jump in prominence when it moved to March because it fit into the calendar in a more exciting way for a lot of documentary stakeholders,” Thom Powers, lead documentary programmer for Toronto Film Festival, says. “It became a great place for films coming out of Sundance to have a European launch.

It’s also become a very significant place for films to make world premieres near the beginning of the year, which can then send them on a circuit, traveling to other festivals like Hot Docs or DOC NYC.” Now in its 20th year, CPH:DOX is among the largest documentary film festivals in the world.

This year’s lineup includes 200 docus, more than half of which are making world premieres. There are 61 competition titles in five international competitions, and for the first time in the fest’s history, all 13 films competing for the top Dox:Award are world premieres.

For 13 years, CPH:DOX took place in November in the weeks before IDFA, but in 2015 as international industry attendance expanded their presence at the all-doc fest, the decision was made to create more space to, as former Copenhagen Film Festival CEO Steffen Andersen-Møller, put it, “unfold CPH:DOX’s potential.” “Ideally, (the date change) will ensure that CPH:DOX opens the year, and IDFA closes it,” Andersen-Møller said in 2015.