TWO POLISH FILMS IN THE OFFICIAL SELECTION OF CPH:DOX
“Traces” by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk and "Double Trouble” by Emilia Śniegoska have been selected for the official programme of CPH:DOX – the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, one of the world’s largest documentary festivals. This year’s edition will take place in Copenhagen from 11 to 22 March 2026.
Screened in the Urgent Matters section, “Traces” follows Ukrainian women who survived sexual violence during Russia’s war and refuse to remain silent. Alisa Kovalenko – director and protagonist of last year’s “My Dear Theo” in which she documented her own frontline experience – returns with a film that gives voice to the women collectively, framing sexual violence as a weapon of war. A key figure in the documentary is Iryna Dovhan, a former detainee and activist who records testimonies from women in liberated areas of Ukraine. The film offers an empathetic portrait of six survivors and a story of endurance, courage, and solidarity forged in community.
Meanwhile, “Double Trouble” selected for the Highlights section, centres on Hanka and Bronka, inseparable friends living in a Polish village in Romania near the Ukrainian border. Widowed and left behind by children who have moved abroad for work, they try to hold on to everyday joy even as the shadow of war looms ever closer. As the threat grows, the women face a difficult choice: leave the village – and each other – or stay despite the risk. Blending humour and tenderness, the film is a moving tale of later life, loneliness, and the strength of female bonds.
CPH:DOX emphasises that its mission is to support documentary film as an art form and a medium of knowledge that inspires reflection and democratic dialogue, engaging with subjects ranging from the deeply personal to the globally structural.
More information about the selected films and the festival can be found here.