Doc Talk Podcast: CPH:DOX 2026 Highlights

CPH:DOX has become one of the world’s most important documentary film festivals, and it’s only becoming more influential each year. The just-wrapped 2026 edition unveiled more than 50 world premieres alone and welcomed many of the top names in the industry – including Alex Gibney, Louis Theroux, John Wilson, Sara Dosa, Poh Si Teng and newly crowned Oscar winners David Borenstein and Helle Faber, among many others.

On the new episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we report from Copenhagen, speaking with CPH:DOX artistic director Niklas Engstrøm. He tells us why the Danish doc community was in a particularly celebratory mood at this year’s event, which had much to do with the Oscars. And he shares some of his personal highlights from the festival – among them a tête-à-tête (or ansigt til ansigt, if you prefer) between Theroux and Wilson – the latter best known for his How To with John Wilson series on HBO.

CPH:DOX receives funding from the Danish Film Institute, which in turned is funded by the Danish government. That arrangement could potentially expose the festival to political meddling, but Engstrøm explores how CPH:DOX has managed to maintain its independence, unlike – some might say – the Berlin Film Festival, which in recent years has seen some German politicians express open displeasure with speeches made by some Berlinale awards winners. He says it’s all about maintaining “arm’s length” distance from political interests.

CPH:DOX not only showcases about 200 films a year, but it’s also got a busy Conference section and a growing industry program that features the CPH:FORUM where filmmakers pitch new projects. On the new edition of Doc Talk, we speak with two young filmmakers — Hansen Lin and Siyi Chen — who brought their film Queens Ballroom to the Forum. The “Queens” of their title refers to the New York borough where Lin stumbled upon a hidden world of primarily Chinese immigrants who find social connection through ballroom dancing.

The directors, who also hail from China originally, tell us why they believe the ballroom scene opens a time capsule onto an earlier era in China that has mostly disappeared. And they share that an active rumor mill helped them select their protagonists. Interactions in the ballroom are spiced with “lots of gossip,” Lin reveals.

That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s senior documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.

Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.