CPH:DOX 2025
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| Opening film | Facing War |
|---|---|
| Location | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Awards | DOX:AWARD: Always |
| Festival date | 19–30 March 2025 |
| Website | cphdox |
The 22nd Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, also known as CPH:DOX 2025 took place from 19 to 30 March 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.[1] The festival is held annually to highlight non-fiction filmmaking from countries all over the world.
The festival opened with Tommy Gulliksen's Facing War, which follows the final years of Jens Stoltenberg as secretary general of NATO and the organization's role in the Russo-Ukrainian War.[2] The main competition award went to Always by Deming Chen. A co-production between China, United States and France, it follows an eight-year-old boy from Hunan, who discovers poetry as a way to make sense of the world.[3]
DOX:AWARD
The jury members were as follows:[4]
- Rikke Tambo Andersen, film producer
- Max Kestner, Danish documentary filmmaker
- Nicolas Rapold, American critic and editor
- Adele Tulli, Italian film director and researcher
- Raul Niño Zambrano, Dutch programmer and creative director of Sheffield DocFest
NEXT:WAVE
- Sissel Dargis Morell, Danish filmmaker
- Sona Karapoghosyan, Armenian film critic and program curator for the Yerevan International Film Festival
- Maria Palacios Cruz, British writer, educator and director of the Open City Documentary Festival
NEW:VISION
- Mason Leaver-Yap, British artist and curator
- Jeppe Lange, Denmark artist
- Marina Kožul, Croatian producer and programmer
F:ACT
- Alexis Bloom, South African-German film director and producer
- Mikala Krogh, Danish film director and editor-in-chief of DR Documentary
- Steffi Niederzoll, German filmmaker, artist and author
HUMAN:RIGHTS
- Mohamed Saïd Ouma, Comorian film director and executive director of Documentary Africa
- Tomáš Poštulka, Czech festival programmer and head of the One World Festival
- Birgitte Stærmose, Danish film director and screenwriter
NORDIC:DOX
- Butheina Kazim, Emirati festival programmer and founder or Cinema Akil
- Dario Oliveira, Portuguese artistic director and founder of Curtas Metragens Vila do Conde Film Festival
- Roja Pakari, Iranian film director
Competitions
The films selected for each section are as follows:[5][6]
DOX:AWARD
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| À Demain sur la Lune | Thomas Balmès | France | |
| Agatha's Almanac | Amalie Atkins | Canada | |
| Always | 从来 | Deming Chen | United States, France, China |
| Balane 3 | Ico Costa | Portugal, France | |
| Facing War (opening film) | Tommy Gulliksen | Norway, Belgium | |
| Flophouse America | Monica Strømdahl | Norway, Netherlands, United States | |
| My Dear Theo | Alisa Kovalenko | Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine | |
| Sanatorium | Gar O'Rourke | Ireland, Ukraine, France | |
| The Castle | Il castello indistruttibile | Danny Biancardi, Virginia Nardelli, Stefano La Rosa | France, Italy |
| The Father, the Song and the Holy Spirit | Faderen, Sønnerne og Helligånden | Christian Sønderby Jepsen | Denmark |
| The Helsinki Effect | Arthur Franck | Finland, Germany, Norway | |
| We Live Here | Мы здесь живем | Zhanana Kurmasheva | Kazakhstan |
NEW:VISION
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perishable Idol | Majid Al-Remaih | France, Kuwait, Qatar | |
| All These Summers | Therese Henningsen | United Kingdom, Denmark | |
| City Child | Austin Lynch | United States, Germany | |
| Unstable Rocks | Pedras Instáveis | Ewelina Rosinska, Nuno Barroso | Germany, Portugal |
| Available Light | Morgan Quaintance | United Kingdom | |
| Images de Tunisie | Younes Ben Slimane | United Kingdom, France, Tunisia | |
| Green Grey Black Brown | Yuyan Wang | South Korea, France, China | |
| Melted Into the Sun | Saodat Ismailova | Uzbekistan, Italy, Portugal | |
| Illiyeen | Eliyah Mesayer, Nanna Rebekka | Denmark | |
| Songbook | Mariah Garnett | United States | |
| Time Paradox | Minha Park | South Korea | |
| Sinking Latitude | 下沉纬度 | Jiawei Zheng | Denmark, China |
| Siticulosa | Maeve Brennan | United kingdom, Denmark | |
| Fear Fokol | Tuva Björk | Sweden | |
| Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 | Juliette Le Monnyer | Belgium | |
| International Satan's Day | Raed Yassin | Lebanon | |
| Scrap | Rebut | Noémie Lobry | France |
F:ACT AWARD
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Meters to Andriivka [a] | Mstyslav Chernov | Ukraine | |
| Antidote | James Jones | United Kingdom | |
| K-Number | Seyoung Jo | South Korea | |
| Men of War | Jen Gatien, Billy Corben | United States, Canada | |
| Predators | David Osit | United States | |
| The End of the Internet | Dylan Reibling | Canada | |
| The Eukrainian | Viktor Nordenskiöld | Sweden, France, Ukraine, Belgium | |
| The Gardener, the Buddhist & the Spy | Håvard Bustnes | Norway, Germant, United Kingdom | |
| The Last Ambassador | Die letzte Botschafterin | Natalie Halla | Austria |
| The Perfect Neighbor | Geeta Gandbhir | United States | |
NORDIC:DOX
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Sunniva Sundby, Mari Bakke Riise | Norway | |
| If I Die Today | Hvis jeg dør i dag | Camilla Arlien | Denmark |
| Lowlands Kids | Sandra Winther | Denmark, United States | |
| Portrait of a Confused Father | Gunnar Hall Jensen | Norway | |
| The Ground Beneath Our Feet | Jörðin undir fótum okkar | Yrsa Roca Fannberg | Iceland, Poland |
| The Last Misfits by The Golden River | Aurinko laskee Lemmenjoella | Juho-Pekka Tanskanen | Finland |
| The Nicest Men on Earth | Verdens sødeste mænd | Josefine Exner, Sebastian Gerdes | Denmark |
| The Sequel to Summer Rain | Uppföljaren till Sommarregn | Viktor Johansson | Sweden |
| Walls - Akinni Inuk | Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg, Sofie Rørdam | Greenland | |
| Witch | Heks | Emil Nørgaard Munk | Denmark |
| Zlatan's Nose | Zlatans näsa | Nils Toftenow, Mathias Rosberg, Olle Toftenow | Sweden |
HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-Month Contract | ცხრათვიანი კონტრაქტი | Ketevan Vashagashvili | Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany |
| Black Water | Natxo Leuza | Spain | |
| Girls & Gods | Arash T. Riahi, Verena Soltiz | Austria | |
| Little Syria | Madalina Rosca, Reem Karssli | Portugal, Romania, Germany | |
| Matabeleland | Nyasha Kadandara | Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana | |
| Moria Six | Jennifer Mallmann | Germany | |
| The Dialogue Police | Dialogpolisen | Susanna Edwards | Sweden |
| The Encampments | Michael T. Workman, Kei Pritsker | United States | |
| The Lions by the River Tigris | Løvene ved elven Tigris | Zaradasht Ahmed | Norway, Netherlands |
NEXT:WAVE AWARD
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Meters | Yomna Khattab | Egypt, Denmark, Saudi Arabia | |
| Abode of Dawn | Sonnenstadt | Kristina Shtubert | Germany |
| Copan | Carine Wallauer | Brazil, France | |
| Fantastic Family | En fantastisk familie | Nicoline Skotte | Denmark |
| I Am Night at Noonday | Je suis la nuit en plein midi | Gaspard Hirschi | France |
| ILOVERUSS | Tova Mozard | Sweden | |
| Latina, Latina | Adrian Duncan | Ireland | |
| Open Call | Sille Storihle | Norway | |
| Red Forest | Forêt Rouge | Laurie Lassalle | France |
| The Golden Spurtle | Constantine Costi | United Kingdom, Australia | |
| Unanimal | Sally Jacobson, Tuva Bjork | Sweden, France | |
| Who Witnessed the Temples Fall | Quién vio los templos | Lucía Selva | Spain |
INTER:ACTIVE AWARD
- A highlighted title indicates the award winner.
| English Title | Original Title | Format | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate | Videogame | Distraction | France | |
| Constantinopoliad | Installation | Sister Sylvester, Nadah El Shazly | United Kingdom | |
| Girlfriend Experience | Interactive Video Installation | Ugo Arsac | France | |
| Huk, the Jaguaress | Huk, la Jaguaresa | Interactive Installation | Violeta Ayala | Australia, Canada, Bolivia |
| Natural Contacts | Interactive Installation | Mark Fingerhut, Matthew D Gantt, Bridget DeFranco, Peter Burr | United States | |
| Songs of Travel | Mobile Game | Ben Wahl, Lisley Viraphong, Jack Gutmann | Austria | |
| Tarang | Expanded Film | Kinnari Saraiya | United Kingdom | |
| The Alluvials | Game | Alice Bucknell | United Kingdom | |
| The Caring Machine | AI Art | Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm | Denmark | |
| The Forest That Breathes Us | Virtual Reality | Jennifer Abbott | Canada | |
| Truth Bears No Scandal | الـواضِح مو فـاضِح | Video Installation | Ahmed Umar | Norway |
| The Garden Says... | XR Performance | Uri Kranot, Michelle Kranot, Sara Topsøe Jensen, Sarah John, Marieke Breyne | Denmark | |
Sections
The films selected for each section are as follows:[5][6]
Special Premieres
The following section consists of exclusive premieres screening out of competition.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animality | Ai Weiwei | Germany | |
| Azza | Stefanie Brockhaus | Germany, Saudi Arabia | |
| Casa | La Casa | Caroline Benarrosh | France |
| Everest Dark | Jereme Watt | Canada | |
| Fission | Spaltung | João Pedro Prado, Anton Yaremchuk | Germany |
| Forever We Are Young | Grace Lee, Patty Ahn | United States, South Korea | |
| How Deep is Your Love | Eleanor Mortimer | United Kingdom | |
| It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley | Amy Berg | United States | |
| Lost for Words | Hannah Papacek Harper | France, United Kingdom | |
| Observer | Ian Cheney | United States | |
| You Need This | Ryan Andrej Lough | United States | |
Highlights
The following section consists of films already screened at festivals and other acclaimed films.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Family | Une famille | Christine Angot | France |
| A Sister's Tale | Leila Amini | Switzerland, France, Iran | |
| About a Hero | Piotr Winiewicz | Denmark | |
| Ai WeiWei's Turandot | Maxim Derevianko | Italy, United States | |
| Blue Road - The Edna O'Brien Story | Sinéad O'Shea | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| Coexistence, My Ass! | Amber Fares | United States, France | |
| Dear Tomorrow | Kaspar Astrup Schröder | Denmark, Sweden, Japan | |
| How to Build a Library | Maia Lekow, Christopher King | Kenya | |
| Letters from Wolf Street | Listy z Wilczej | Arjun Talwar | Poland, Germany |
| Mistress Dispeller | Elizabeth Lo | China, United States | |
| Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature | Miyazaki, l’esprit de la nature | Leo Favier | France |
| Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Pavel Talankin, David Borenstein | Denmark, Czech Republic | |
| Only on Earth | Robin Petré | Denmark, Spain | |
| Paul | Denis Côté | Canada | |
| Real | Adele Tulli | Italy | |
| Seeds | Brittany Shyne | United States | |
| Tata | Lina Vdovii, Radu Ciorniciuc | Romania, Germany, Netherlands | |
| The Brink of Dreams | Rafaat Einy Ll Sama | Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir | Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
| The Dating Game | Violet Du Feng | United States, United Kingdom, Norway | |
| The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop | Simon Ennis | Canada, United States | |
| The Secret of Me | Grace Hughes-Hallett | United Kingdom, United States | |
| The Shards | Masha Chernaya | Georgia, Germany | |
| The Typewriter and Other Headaches | La machine a ecrire | Nicolas Philibert | France |
| Trans Memoria | Victoria Verseau | Sweden, France | |
| Truth or Dare | Maja Classen | Germany | |
| Twiggy | Sadie Frost | United Kingdom | |
| Viktor | Olivier Sarbil | Denmark, Ukraine, France, United States | |
| Where Dragons Live | Suzanne Raes | Netherlands, United Kingdom | |
| Wishing on a Star | Peter Kerekes | Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia | |
| Zodiac Killer Project | Charlie Shackleton | United Kingdom, United States | |
Artists & Auteurs
The following section consists of new films from "some of the world's most original artists and filmmakers".
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons of Solitude | Tardes de soledad | Albert Serra | Spain, France, Portugal |
| Bogancloch | Ben Rivers | United Kingdom, Germany, Iceland | |
| Collective Monologue | Monólogo colectivo | Jessica Sarah Rinland | Argentina, United Kingdom |
| Elementary | Apprendre | Claire Simon | France |
| W.O.M.B. (Worth of My Body) | Julienne Doko | Denmark | |
| 4.48 Dysphoria | Noah Holtegaard | Denmark | |
| Movement | Benjamin Muasya | Denmark | |
| They Know We Know They Lie | Isabella Solar Villaseca, Lou Mouw | Sweden, Denmark | |
| I Am Everything | Jeppe Lange | Denmark | |
| It's Not Me | Cést pas moi | Leos Carax | France |
| The Residents: Barking in the Dark | Marie Losier | France | |
| Primitive Diversity | Alexander Kluge | Germany | |
| Seen Unseen: An Anthology of (Auto)Censorship | Görünür Görünmez: Bir (Oto)Sansür Antolojisi | Firat Yucel, Erhan Örs, Sibil Çekmen, Serra Akcan, Nadir Sönmez, Hakan Bozyurt, Can Memiş, Belit Sağ | Netherlands, Turkey |
| Silent Observers | Тихи Наблюдатели | Eliza Petkova | Bulgaria, Germany |
| The Ban | Roisin Agnew | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| The Diary of a Sky | Lawrence Abu Hamdan | Lebanon | |
| The More Naked We Dare to Be | Jon Bang Carlsen | Denmark | |
| Youth (Hard Times) | 青春：苦 | Wang Bing | France, Netherlands, Luxembourg |
| Youth (Homecoming) | 青春：归 | Wang Bing | France, Netherlands, Luxembourg |
PARA:FICTIONS
The following section consists of films in the field between documentary and fiction.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluish | Lilith Kraxner, Milena Czernovsky | Austria | |
| Caught by the Tides | 风流一代 | Jia Zhangke | China |
| Fire of Wind | Fogo do Vento | Marta Mateus | Portugal, Switzerland, France |
| Grand Tour | Miguel Gomes | Portugal, Italy, France | |
| Holy Electricity | წმინდა ელექტროენერგია | Tato Kotetishvili | Georgia, Netherlands |
| Kontinental '25 | Radu Jude | Romania | |
| Mika Ex Machina | Mika Tard, Deborah Saïag | France | |
| The Shipwrecked Triptych | Das Schiffbruch-Triptychon | Deniz Eroglu | Germany |
| The Wolves Always Come at Night | Gabrielle Brady | Australia, Mongolia, Germany | |
| To a Land Unknown | Mahdi Fleifel | United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia | |
| When the Phone Rang | Kada je zazvonio telefon | Iva Radivojević | Serbia, United States |
Sound & Vision
The following section consists of films related to music.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Stranger in the World | Ein er ei eiga eining | Sturla Pilskog | Norway |
| Becoming Madonna | Michael Ogden | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Cosmic Balance | Andreas Johnsen | Denmark, Indonesia | |
| Disco's Revenge | Omar Majeed, Peter Mishara | Canada | |
| Elendig Software | Freja Rørkær, Oskar Langballe Dahl | Denmark | |
| Ellis Park | Justin Kurzel | Australia, Indonesia, France | |
| From Here Where We Stand - 80 Years with Niels Skousen | Herfra hvor vi står – 80 år med Niels Skousen | Linda Wendel | Denmark |
| Googoosh - Made of Fire | Niloufar Taghizadeh | Germany | |
| Legacy | Manal Masri | Sweden, United States | |
| Nobody's Angel | Endeløse nat | Torben Skjødt Jensen | Denmark |
| Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys | Sam Pollard, Jason Pollard | United States | |
| One to One: John & Yoko | Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards | United Kingdom | |
| Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story | Jane Mingay | United Kingdom | |
| Pavements | Alex Ross Perry | United States | |
| Rave | Łukasz Ronduda, Dawid Nickel | Poland | |
| The Sound of Love Letters | Kærestebreve fra Thy | Tammes Bernstein | Denmark |
| TV-2: Kys det satans liv | Jesper Skaaning | Denmark | |
Urgent Matters
The following section consists of films with topical, political and relevant themes.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apocalypse in the Tropics | Apocalipse nos Trópicos | Petra Costa | Brazil |
| Dream Without Mercy | Waad Al-Kateab | United Kingdom | |
| From Ground Zero | قصص غير محكية من غزة من المسافة صفر | Various directors[b] | Palestine, France, Qatar, Jordan |
| Hacking Hate | Simon Klose | Sweden, Denmark, Norway | |
| On the Border | Gabriela Schild, Gerald Igor Hauzenberger | Austria, Germany, Switzerland | |
| Save Our Souls | Jean-Baptiste Bonnet | France | |
| Songs of Slow Burning Earth | Пісні землі, що повільно горить | Olha Zhurba | Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, France |
| Sudan, Remember Us | السودان يا غالي | Hind Meddeb | France, Tunisia, Qatar |
| The Bibi Files | Alexis Bloom | United States | |
| The Last Republican | Steve Pink | United States | |
| The Tender Revolution | Die zärtliche Revolution | Annelie Boros | Germany |
| Writing Hawa | Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori | France, Netherlands, Qatar, Afghanistan | |
Backstory
The following section consists of films that trace back through history.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Future | Viitor Luminos | Andra MacMasters | Romania |
| Fiume o morte! | Igor Bezinović | Croatia, Italy, Slovenia | |
| Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 | Göran Hugo Olsson | Sweden, Finland, Denmark | |
| My Sweet Land | Տունս քաղցր ա | Sareen Hairabedian | United States, Jordan, France, Ireland |
| Rule of Stone | Danae Elon | Canada, Israel | |
| Scars of a Putsch | Nathalie Borgers | Austria, Belgium | |
| The Helsinki Effect | Arthur Franck | Finland, Germany, Norway | |
| The White House Effect | Pedro Kos, Jon Shenk, Bonni Cohen | United States | |
Science
The following section consists of films exploring the encounter between cinema, science and society.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate in Therapy | Nathan Grossman | Sweden, Norway | |
| Dust & Flow: Muds, Movement, Time, Scale | Rikke Luther | Iceland, Sweden, Denmark | |
| I Think We Begin as Light | Jeg tror, vi starter som lys | Emma Harris, Sille Skovgaard | Denmark |
| Family Fortunes | Mila Turajlić | Serbia, United States | |
| Victoria | Sam Soko | Kenya, United States | |
| A Robust Heart | Martín Benchimol | Argentina, United States | |
| Public Pool | Elizabeth Lo | United States | |
| GEN_ | Gianluca Matarrese | France, Italy, Switzerland | |
| Human Race | Simon Lec | Denmark, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, United States | |
| Hidrogen - Revolution or Illusion? | Wasserstoff - Revolution oder Illusion? | Andreas Pichler | Germany, Italy, Norway |
| Lost Wolves of Yellowstone | Thomas Winston | United States | |
| Memory Wars | Hendrik Löbbert | Germany | |
| Spacewoman | Hannah Berryman | United Kingdom | |
| The Shadow Scholard | Eloise King | United Kingdom | |
| Teenage Life Interrupted | Uten synlige tegn | Åse Svenheim Drivenes | Norway |
| Tracing Light | Thomas Riedelsheimer | Germany, United Kingdom | |
DANISH:DOX
The following section consists of new Danish documentaries from both established and upcoming filmmakers.
| English Title | Original Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Another World | Den Anden Verden | Søren Peter Langkjær Bojsen | Denmark |
| Birthdays | Fødselsdage | Adrian Jalily | Denmark |
| Cirkeline and the Invisible Artist | Cirkeline & den usynlige tegner | Esther Wellejus | Denmark |
| Close to Home | Shubhdeep Singh Parwana | Denmark, India | |
| Europe Endless | Europa Endlos | Thomas Elley | Denmark |
| The Garden Caretaker | Natalia Anna Ciepiel, William Andreas Wivel | Denmark | |
| The House | Maja | Carl Olsson | Estonia, Sweden |
| In Search of the Miraculous | Sybilla Tuxen | Denmark | |
| Love, Z | Anna-Sofie Uth Juncker | Denmark | |
| The Ox Road | Hærvejen | Jesper H. Grand | Denmark |
| The Silence in My Heart | Tavsheden i mit hjerte | Lene Kamm | Denmark |
| Take the Money and Run | Ole Juncker | Denmark | |
| Witch | Heks | Emil Nørgaard Munk | Denmark |
Awards
The following awards were presented:[7]
- DOX:AWARD: Always by Deming Chen
- Special Mention: Flophouse America by Monica Strømdahl
- F:ACT AWARD: 2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov
- Special Mention: The Perfect Neighbor by Geeta Gandbhir
- HUMAN:RIGHTS AWARD: 9-Month Contract by Ketevan Vashagashvili
- Special Mention: The Encampments by Michael T. Workman & Kei Pritsker
- NORDIC:DOX AWARD: Walls - Akinni Inuk by Nina Paninnguaq Skydsbjerg & Sofie Rørdam
- Special Mention: The Nicest Men on Earth by Josefine Exner & Sebastian Gerdes
- NEXT:WAVE AWARD: Abode of Dawn by Kristina Shtubert
- Special Mention: Who Witnessed the Temples Fall by Lucia Selva
- NEW:VISION: Ramallah, Palestine, December 2018 by Juliette Le Monnyer
- Special Mention: Scrap by Noémie Lobry
- INTER:ACTIVE AWARD: Constantinopoliad by Sister Sylvester & Nadah El Shazly
- Special Mention: The Garden Says... by Uri Kranot, Michelle Kranot, Sara Topsøe Jensen, Sarah John, Marieke Breyne