CPH:DOX 2021: Live and Inter:Active

After a full year of attending virtual fests – CPH:DOX 2020 marked the start – I can honestly say that the most exciting and unexpected upside has been the democratization of the film festival experience. A surprising number of fests have not only thrown open the gates of exclusivity, allowing non-jet-setting cinephiles to stream films at a reasonable cost from home, but also gone out of their way to make select portions of their programs free to the general public. And though it’s long been at the forefront of accessibility, the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival (which takes place in a hybrid edition April 21-May 5) has decided to step up its own game this year, offering its usual wide array of topnotch panels free of charge, while also transforming the Inter:Active section into a globally available, all-live-event affair. 
 And of the XR program’s 14 “one-off social experiences that are different each time they are presented,” a good half I’ve tagged as intriguing must-sees – allowing participants to do such things as dive under Greenland ice to a Cold War research lab, explore the nature of Icelandic folklore with a Huldufólk, or even become a microorganism. No overseas travel required.

To read all my cyber suggestions visit Filmmaker magazine.