Change 2026 AT CPH:DOX

The photo is from the 2025 edition of the Change but yesterday’s session took place in the same cinema hall in the Film House of Copenhagen and there was a full house with the same set up and Christian Popp doing a good job as moderator. 10 minutes per project, 7 for the presentation, 3 for question(s) from Popp and answers from the filmmakers. Good supporting atmosphere from the audience that included producers, distributors, sales agents and film consultants like me. First some introductory words copy-pasted from the CPH:DOX catalogue and then an introduction to the projects with some impressions from me.

“CPH:DOX, EAVE and IMS are proud to announce the fifth round of the CHANGE programme, empowering documentary film projects from the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

For the 2025/2026 edition, eight teams joined the co-production training workshop series. The programme consisted of three residential workshops and a presentation of the projects in the framework of CPH:FORUM 2026.

Offered is a tailor-made programme taking place over three residential workshops with the aim to stimulate and qualify inter-regional co-production and to connect documentary projects to regional and international markets. Participants are tutored by regional and international experts.

The first two workshops will consist of five full days of group work, plenaries, and individual meetings; the third workshop will take place CPH:DOX and consists of workshop days, pitching of the projects in the framework of CPH:FORUM as well as debrief of the pitching and development of strategies for the teams and projects after the workshop.

Between the workshops, participants will be working on project development with specific tasks and assignments.”

Voilá – a full bodied programme, well thought and presented.

THE PROJECTS PRESENTED YESTERDAY:

10 THINGS [WT]

I’m Niniko, an aspiring comedian dreaming of London. My cousin Kakha, Georgia’s beloved actor, refuses to leave. Political turmoil awakens our shared trauma: my dream becomes escape while he fights in the streets – our relationship caught between love, resentment, and survival.

A VERY LIVELY PRESENTATION FULL OF HUMOUR AND WITH THE FRENCH CONNECTION IT MUST HAVE CHANCES INTERNATIONALLY.

Niniko Lekishvili / Ana Kvichidze, Irina Gelashvili & Estelle Robin You / Radium Films / Grande Ourse Films / Georgia & France

3 DAUGHTERS

When her mother dies, Anghelina loses the voice that defined what it meant to be a good woman. Caught between her mother’s faith and duty and her daughter’s life as an artist, she must decide which values endure and which end with her.

THE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER – SAME PERSON – WAS ALONE ON STAGE, DID AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION OF A PROJECT THAT COULD END UP BEING A CLASSICAL HUMANISTIC DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LIFE.

Ana Gherciu / Ana Gherciu / Narrativa Studio / Sud-Est Media / Moldova

LIFE ON MARS

Everyday, miners dig deep into the Earth’s crust, extracting minerals, destroying nature – while in a parallel reality cosmic dust invades human minds, astronauts appear in Armenia’s desert-like landscapes, and the land itself begins to transform into Mars.

IT LOOKED GOOD, THE SOUND WAS IMPRESSIVE BUT I DID NOT GET HOLD OF WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY. SORRY.

Mery Aghakhanyan / Karina Simonyan / Edgar Baghdasaryan Film Production / Armenia

MY HOME

At 86, Vali prepares for the final journey of his life to see his former home and his family’s graves, even though his family opposes the trip and the border remains closed.

I AM A BIT BIASED WITH THIS PROJECT THAT I MET LAST YEAR IN BAKU. THERE IS A FASCINATING STORY TO BE TOLD, MAKING US KNOW MORE ABOUT THE TRAGIC CONFLICT BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN. THE OLD MAN IS WONDERFUL. THE TWO ALSO HAVE ANOTHER TRAILER WITH ARCHIVE MATERIAL THAT GIVES US BACKGROUND.

Ulviyya Ahmadova / Nijat Dadashov / Cineart Group / Azerbaijan

MY SCHOOL IS SEIZED

Pavlo (18) escapes Russian occupation and, with a teacher and imprisoned collaborators, exposes a school system designed to groom children for war. Pavlo’s mission is not over until his brother Ivan (10) is out – before propaganda claims him for good.

IMPORTANT. WILL BE MADE I AM SURE. CONVINCING PRESENTATION.

Halyna Lavrinets / Oleksandr Ivanov / Babylon’13 / Ukraine

SOUNDS OF REVOLUTION

Under the shadow of autocracy, the city whispers and roars. An unexpected act elevates an unknown woman into the face of the protest. SOUNDS OF REVOLUTION is a symphony of resistance, where Georgia’s people rise together – but the triumph of collective demands sacrifice.

I KNOW NIKO FROM SEVERAL VISITS TO TBILISI AND I KNOW THE COURAGEOUS DEMONSTRATIONS GEORGIANS ARE PERFORMING. HE IS LOOKING FOR THE WAY TO TELL THE STORY BUT HE HAS THE MATERIAL NEEDED. GOOD LUCK!

Nikoloz Bezhanishvili / Nikoloz Bezhanishvili & Victor Ede / NIKADOCFILM / Cinephage / Georgia & France

TOTAL MESS

Following young Ukrainians pulled into the wartime shadow economy, the film immerses us in their inner worlds as fast money turns into addiction. Bound together in a fragile community, they must face the question: what will their escape truly cost?

POWERFUL YOUNG PRESENTATION – LAST PRESENTATION STRONGLY APPLAUDED. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE HOW IT DEVELOPS. THERE IS SOME CRAZINESS IN THAT PROJECT.

Oleksandra Horiienko / Kateryna Yahodka & Alex Shiriaieff / 2Brave Productions & EuroArctic Media Group / Ukraine & Sweden

UXXR: IS THERE SEX AFTER THE USSR?

In a world where women are taught to run or endure, Zara, a fearless human rights defender, launches a rehabilitation program for abusers, where she confronts the source of violence, after years of managing its aftermath.

WANT TO USE ANIMATION. MAYBE IT IS A GOOD IDEA. STRONG CHARISMATIC PRESENTATION.

Lilit Movsisyan / Sona Margaryan / Motif Films / Armenia