Amazing news from Copenhagen! Four of the six films from WMM’s Production Assistance Program that premiered in competition at the CPH:DOX festival this year won awards, including WHISPERS IN MAY, which took home the festival’s top prize! Additionally, two Program films won DOX:INDUSTRY awards for their pitches.
The winners are:
🏆WHISPERS IN MAY – DOX:AWARD Winner
Director: Dongnan Chen
Producers: Jia Zhao, Kay Xu | Co-Producers: Heejung Oh & Malin Hüber
Dongnan Chen’s WHISPERS IN MAY took home the festival’s top prize, the DOX:AWARD. A meditative, lyrical coming-of-age portrait set in the remote Liangshan Mountains, the film follows a 14-year-old Chinese girl and her two best friends as they quietly navigate the pressures of adolescence, family, and their surroundings.
🏆 THE CORD — DOX:AWARD Special Mention:
Director: Nolwenn Hervé
Producer: Estelle Robin You
First-time filmmaker Nolwenn Hervé received a DOX:AWARD Special Mention for THE CORD. Centered on Carolina, a Venezuelan community organizer and fierce advocate for women’s reproductive health, the film is driven by a powerful, real-life protagonist whose care and determination leave a lasting impression.
🏆THE PHANTOM PAIN OF ROJAVA — HUMAN:RIGHTS Award Winner
Director: Maryam Ebrahimi
Producers: Kristine Ann Skaret, Stina Gardell & Mirjam Gelhorn
Emmy-winning director Maryam Ebrahimi received the HUMAN:RIGHTS Award for her new film THE PHANTOM PAIN OF ROJAVA. Filmed over five years, the documentary offers an intimate portrait of Kurdish resistance fighters living with the physical and psychological aftermath of battle. Once hailed as heroes in the fight against ISIS, they now navigate life in the shadow of a failed revolution and an ongoing, increasingly technological conflict.
🏆AMERICAN DOCTOR — HUMAN:RIGHTS Special Mention
Director: Poh Si Teng
Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Poh Si Teng, Reem Haddad, Simon Kilmurry, Hamza Ali, Mohammed Sawwaf & Kasper Lykke Schultz
AMERICAN DOCTOR received a Special Mention in the HUMAN:RIGHTS Competition. Fresh off its world premiere at Sundance, the film had its International Premiere at CPH:DOX. Director Poh Si Teng follows three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — working in Gaza, where their shared commitment to saving lives unfolds against an escalating war, raising urgent questions about responsibility, care, and the role of the United States.
🏆DON’T LET THE SUN GO UP ON ME – EURIMAGES New Lab Outreach Award
Director: Asmae El Moudir
Producers: Asmae El Moudir, Emma Lepers & Monica Hellström
DON’T LET THE SUN GO UP ON ME took home the EURIMAGES New Lab Outreach Award, worth €30,000, from its DOX:INDUSTRY pitch. Condemned to a life away from the sun, Fatimazahra lived at night with the “Children of the Moon”. After her passing, her sister Meriem carries forward her dreams, creating a refuge, nurturing a close-knit community, and venturing into the polar night.
🏆 WE ARE VOLCANOES – ARTE Award
Director: Sharon Yeung and Natalie Chao
One of two projects selected to receive the ARTE Award for its pitch in the Forum, WE ARE VOLCANOES will receive a consultation with Rogu Cut Services, a value of €2,500. This is currently a confidential project with details to be announced at a later date.
Read more about the CPH:DOX Awards and the DOX:INDUSTRY Awards in Variety.
Congratulations to the filmmakers!
