CPH:DOX receives Politiken's Ibyen award Krammer of the Year

^{“In recent years, CPH:DOX has worked purposefully to create a better space in the cinema space — for example with an independent film programme on 'body politics' and by arranging a cinema hall at Charlottenborg with rethinking the audience ranks so that more people can participate. Danish cinemas, listen and learn!”}

This is what it sounded like in the setting from Politiken's Ibyen editorial team of the documentary film festival CPH:DOX to the new Ibyen Prize Krammer of the Year, which was awarded in a packed Byhaven at Pumpehuset in Copenhagen on May 28.

This is the first time that Politiken and the Bevica Foundation have awarded Krammer of the Year. The purpose is to pay tribute to those who, by and large, work with our common framework, so that more bodies can participate.

And the price also falls in a dry place, says Artistic Director at CPH:DOX Niklas Engstrøm.

“There is such a need to focus on accessibility in the Danish and Copenhagen cultural environment, so we are really pleased to see that this award has been instituted,” reads one happy winner immediately after the award ceremony. And he is backed by Live and Partnerships Manager at CPH:DOX Marie Erbs Ørbæk.

A process that never stops
“It is a process that never stops and that perhaps as a festival we are only really starting to get our eyes on. You can use concepts like universal design to lay down as a playbook of the festival, but which you can also just use as a conversation starter and get a second look at what accessibility means. What does it mean to go to a bar if you can't reach it if you're a wheelchair user? How do you set up a cinema so that everyone can have the same experience, no matter what their availability may be? There is still a long way to go — both for a festival like ours and also for the cinemas in which we live. But awards like this can help to shed light on the need to continue this work,” she says.

Niklas Engstrøm also believes that the award can help keep the festival to the fire and create the necessary energy needed to actually do something about the challenges that exist.

“The award allows us to continue the conversation with the cinemas, who really need to look at their architectural design and say: how can this do in a slightly better and slightly more inclusive way?”

An important conversation
This year's Krammer is a collaboration between Politiken and the Bevica Foundation to focus on those who create a better framework for more types of bodies, and to create a broader conversation about how cultural life can become for more people.

“The conversation about who we include, when we do it, and how we do it is central to us, and Hugs of the Year is a great way to spark that conversation in some environments that we may find difficult to reach. We are of course extremely pleased that Politiken has joined us in this work by adding the IBEN platform,” says Mads Stampe, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at the Bevica Foundation.

The other nominees for Krammer of the Year were designer Anker Bak for his work with his Dignity Design and Roskilde Festival for their contribution to making Denmark's largest festival for several — for example, with sign language interpretation of selected concerts and a general focus on universal design in the construction of the festival.

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