CPH:DOX 2013 /1
The festival in Copenhagen has started. For Copenhageners it started a long time ago with prologue events, the programme newspaper in cafés, banners and posters in the streets… the organisers are masters of marketing… but now the festival programme runs with an opening last night and an overwhelming offer to the audience – today, as an example, you would have to choose between 45 films/events (the latter = a concert or a debate or a prize ceremony).
Yes, how to choose – the staff has suggested some films to be picked, so-called ambassadors, well known Danes, make their recommendations, or you sit down, go through the website (that is brilliantly layout’ed) or download the 338 pages of the catalogue, all in English.
Sections are many. The Dox:Award is the main one, the New:Vision and the Nordic:Dox have been there before, whereas the F:Act Award is new. This is what is written about it:
“This year CPH:DOX is launching a new award dedicated to films in the field between documentary filmmaking and investigative journalism. Films that not only document the world, but actively takes part in it. With the new F:act Award we wish to honor and acknowledge the often time consuming work in a genre, which is at the same time threatened by short deadlines and in creative growth. 12 films are nominated for the F:act Award, which is kindly sponsored by the Danish Union of Journalists.”
The film by Callum Macrae, “No Fire Zone”, reviewed by Allan Berg, see below, is one of the contenders as are Alex Gibney’s “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” and Errol Morris Rumsfeld-film “The Unknown Known” (photo).
And Ai Weiwei and The Yes Men have curated each their section, there is music films, new Danish docs, new Chinese, Claude Lanzmann… I could go on, and many other industry related activities. Difficult to be negative if you are a documentary lover.
