The prestigious CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen has concluded its 2026 edition by celebrating a wide array of cinematic achievements. On Friday night, the festival announced its top honors, highlighting films that push the boundaries of reality and storytelling. Leading the pack was Dongnan Chen, whose poignant work Whispers in May took home the DOX:AWARD. This victory is particularly significant as it grants the film automatic eligibility for Oscar consideration.
A Poetic Coming of Age in Rural China
The top-tier DOX:AWARD jury praised Whispers in May for its ability to find the extraordinary within the mundane. The film follows the life of a 14-year-old girl navigating the transition from childhood to adolescence in rural China. Jurors described the work as a modern-day fairytale that successfully blends reality with a mythical atmosphere, capturing the essence of factory life and hidden personal worlds. Upon receiving the award, Dongnan Chen expressed gratitude to the festival for acknowledging the stories of young girls and the creators behind them. The prize includes a 10,000 Euro grant.
Exploring Ethics and Investigative Journeys
A new addition to the festival this year, the FIPRESCI Award, was handed to Nathan Grossman for his documentary Amazomania. The film utilizes footage from a 1996 expedition led by Erling Söderström to investigate the ethics of filming Indigenous groups. It specifically focuses on the Koruba people of the Amazon, raising difficult questions about consent and intellectual property when documenting cultures that do not share Western concepts of ownership.
In the F:ACT AWARD category, which focuses on the intersection of journalism and cinema, Just Look Up emerged as the winner. Directed by Emma Wall and Betsy Hershey, and executive produced by Adam McKay, the documentary tracks young climate activists utilizing disruptive methods to demand environmental policy changes.
Innovative Perspectives and Human Rights
The NEXT:WAVE category, reserved for more experimental and creative approaches, saw Irene Bartolomé take the top prize for Dream of Another Summer. The film uses a blend of documentary and fictional techniques to explore the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut explosion. Meanwhile, Maryam Ebrahimi won the HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD for The Phantom Pain of Rojava, a film centered on the defense of human dignity.
Other notable winners included Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen for The Secret Reading Club of Kabul in the NORDIC:DOX category, and Rico Wong for Compact Disc in the NEW:VISION category. In the digital realm, Sacha Wares received the INTER:ACTIVE award for the multisensory VR experience Inside: The Childhood of an Artist.
With 74 films in competition and over 50 world premieres, CPH:DOX 2026 showcased the immense talent of the global documentary community. While many prizes have been distributed, the 10,000 Euro Audience Award remains to be announced on March 26.
