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The Preview

Twenty years after its founding, Copenhagen’s CPH:DOX has grown into one of the world’s most significant documentary film festivals, thanks to both
Sundance’s hold on worldwide documentary market trends remains in full force, even if its status is now based more on historical precedence than
Sheffield DocFest has survived operating as a carousel, rotating through festival directors and programmers every couple of years for the last decade
Secure in its June slot, and without the gravitational balance of the Tribeca Film Institute’s artist support and funding programs, Tribeca Festival’s traditional coziness with corporate sponsors has proliferated in recent years (and surely must also be pandemic-related). The film selections mostly reflect this unfortunate industry-wide trend. But between the celebrity- and music-driven biodocs that stuff Tribeca’s lineup, the festival also boasts stateside premieres of hotly anticipated creative documentaries, exciting debuts from independent filmmakers, and one of the best-curated film festival immersive sections in the world. For this recommendations list, we pulled together a mix of nonfiction projects that we’re anticipating will become the festival’s discoveries.