01/02/2024 - The world premiere of the Danish director's new film, which is also taking part in the DOX:AWARD competition, will take place on 12 March in Copenhagen

CPH:DOX has announced that the opening film of its 21st edition, set to run from 13-24 March, will be Life and Other Problems [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Danish director Max Kestner, whose earlier documentaries regularly screened at the festival. The film will also be part of the festival's main DOX:AWARD competition.

“Life and Other Problems is an eternally relevant story about the value of life and the quest to make sense of one's own – and all of our – existence. With his new film, Max Kestner has created a deeply personal tour de force through the scientific answers to what we know about life, fir trees, animal rights activists, and just how much imagination a Chinese giant salamander really has. It has become nothing short of a fantastic film that challenges our worldview, stimulates both the mind and the funny bone, and leaves one wiser and almost euphoric – about life, if you will,” says Niklas Engstrøm, artistic director of CPH:DOX.

The film takes as its starting point the viral news from ten years ago when Marius the giraffe was put down by Copenhagen Zoo. But it was also the first domino to fall in the wild thicket of existential questions asked by Kestner in his new, joyously adventurous film. What is life? Does consciousness exist? Where does love come from? And not least: how is everything connected, really? With curiosity and an open mind, Kestner embarks on a philosophical voyage around the world to look for answers to his questions. With contributions from scientists like Charles Foster and Eske Willerslev, every answer sparks three new questions. And yet, throughout the journey, we do gain an insight into the great and small workings of the universe. What could have ended up as the most (self-)important picture of all time has instead turned into a funny, creative and completely unpredictable experience.

“I imagine that we can choose between two views of life,” says Kestner. “One sees life as predictable and our actions as predetermined; the other sees life as unpredictable, precisely because our choices are not predetermined, but influenced by our consciousness, our experience of being ourselves. The film is in pursuit of the latter. It is a treasure hunt, a search for hope that our actions are always full of meaning.”

Life and Other Problems was produced by Vibeke Vogel, of Denmark's Bullitt Film, in co-production with Hopscotch Films (UK) and Plattform Produktion (Sweden). It was supported by TV2 Denmark, the Danish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, the UK Global Screen Fund, Screen Scotland, Creative Europe, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, NRK and SVT.