National Film School of Denmark
Encyclopedia
TheNational Film School of Denmark is an independent institution under the Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs
. It was established in 1966 and is based on Holmen
in the harbour of Copenhagen
.
with Theodor Christensen and Jens Christian Lauritzen as the driving forces and the latter as the institution's first principal. In 1988 the school became an independent institution and in 1998 the school—until then spread out on several addresses—relocated to its current premises on Holmen
as part of the Danish Centre for Artistic Educations.
, TV, scriptwriting
and animation
directing. The number of students is 96: 60 film students, 6 scriptwriters, 18 TV students and 12 animation directors. All courses are 4-year programmes, except the scriptwriting course which lasts 3 years.
The school is an art school but practical knowledge is also very important. The teaching programme is a mixture of theoretical
and practical training and includes a large number of exercises and productions. The students' final project is a film produced on a professional level and presented to the public on national TV. All students must pass an entrance test including both practical exercises and interviews.
Director Poul Nesgaard
has headed the school since 1992. The number of employees amounts to about 50 persons, including teachers, technical and administrative staff. A large number of guest teachers are temporarily employed. The school also arranges courses for film and TV professionals from abroad and seminars with the participation of other Nordic countries
.
Ministry of Culture of Denmark
The Ministry of Culture of Denmark is a department of the Danish Government, with responsibility for culture, sport and media.-History:...
. It was established in 1966 and is based on Holmen
Holmen, Copenhagen
Holmen is an area in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern extension of Christianshavn between Zealand and the northern tip of Amager....
in the harbour of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
History
The National Danish Film School was established in 1966 under the Danish Film InstituteDanish Film Institute
The Danish Film Institute is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest....
with Theodor Christensen and Jens Christian Lauritzen as the driving forces and the latter as the institution's first principal. In 1988 the school became an independent institution and in 1998 the school—until then spread out on several addresses—relocated to its current premises on Holmen
Holmen, Copenhagen
Holmen is an area in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern extension of Christianshavn between Zealand and the northern tip of Amager....
as part of the Danish Centre for Artistic Educations.
Courses
There are four study programmes available: filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, TV, scriptwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
directing. The number of students is 96: 60 film students, 6 scriptwriters, 18 TV students and 12 animation directors. All courses are 4-year programmes, except the scriptwriting course which lasts 3 years.
The school is an art school but practical knowledge is also very important. The teaching programme is a mixture of theoretical
Film theory
Film theory is an academic discipline that aims to explore the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the other arts, individual viewers, and society at large...
and practical training and includes a large number of exercises and productions. The students' final project is a film produced on a professional level and presented to the public on national TV. All students must pass an entrance test including both practical exercises and interviews.
Director Poul Nesgaard
Poul Nesgaard
Poul Nesgaard is a Danish journalist, television producer and art administrator, currently director of the National Film School of Denmark.-Biography:...
has headed the school since 1992. The number of employees amounts to about 50 persons, including teachers, technical and administrative staff. A large number of guest teachers are temporarily employed. The school also arranges courses for film and TV professionals from abroad and seminars with the participation of other Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
.
Rectors
| Year | Keeper |
|---|---|
| 1966–1969 | Jens Christian Lauritzen |
| ? | ? |
| 1975—1982 | Henning Camre Henning Camre Henning Camre is a Danish cinematographer and film industry administrator, currently President of the Think Tank on European Film and Film Policy... |
| 1992–present | Poul Nesgaard Poul Nesgaard Poul Nesgaard is a Danish journalist, television producer and art administrator, currently director of the National Film School of Denmark.-Biography:... |
Alumni
- Bille AugustBille AugustBille August is a Danish Academy Award winning film and television director. His film Pelle the Conqueror from 1987 won the Palme D'or, Academy Award and Golden Globe. He is one of the very few directors to win the Palme D'or twice, winning the prestigious award again in 1991 for The Best...
(graduated as cinematographer, 1973) - Krass ClementKrass ClementKrass Clement Kay Christensen is a Danish photographer who has specialized in documentary work. He graduated as a film director in Copenhagen but soon turned to still photography, publishing his first book Skygger af øjeblikke in 1978. He has since become an active documentary photographer,...
, photographer (1978) - Rumle HammerichRumle HammerichJens Peter Hammerich , better known as Rumle Hammerich , is a Danish film director, screenwriter and film company director. He is currently creative director at Nordisk Film....
(1979) - Åke SandgrenÅke SandgrenÅke Sandgren is a Swedish-Danish film director and screenwriter. He has written and directed a number of films in a variety of genres, mostly in Denmark where he now lives.-Biography:...
(1976–79) - Lars Von TrierLars von TrierLars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
(1982) - Lone ScherfigLone ScherfigLone Scherfig is a Danish film director. She graduated in 1984, and began her career as a director with "A Birthday Trip". She is part of the Dogme 95 film movement, which espouses a form of cinéma vérité She made her mark with the Dogme95-film, Italian for Beginners , a romantic comedy which...
(1984) - Susanne BierSusanne BierSusanne Bier is a Danish film director best known for her feature films Brothers, After the Wedding and the Academy-Award-winning In a Better World.-Life and work:Susanne Bier was born to Jewish parents in Copenhagen, Denmark...
(1987) - Niels Arden OplevNiels Arden OplevNiels Arden Oplev is a writer-director from Denmark.-Biography:He directed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the film based on Stieg Larsson's novel of the same title and won critical acclaim internationally. Oplev decided to not continue directing the second and third parts of the Millennium...
(1987) - Anthony Dod MantleAnthony Dod MantleAnthony Dod Mantle BSC is a British cinematographer notable for his work in digital cinematography.-Career:Dod Mantle directed photography on three Dogme 95 films and the first two episodes of Wallander. He used the Red One digital camera on Wallander, the first British television production to do...
(1985–89) - Thomas VinterbergThomas VinterbergThomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production....
(1993) - Per FlyPer FlyPer Fly Plejdrup is a Danish film director, generally credited simply as Per Fly. He is married to Danish actress Charlotte Fich. They have the children Anton and Aksel together.-Biography:...
(1993) - Peter FlinthPeter Flinth-Biography:Peter Flinth was born on 7 November 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was admitted to the National Film School of Denmark and in the same time worked as an assistant director on a number of Danish feature films, including most notably Academy Award-nominated Dance of the Polar Bears and...
(1993) - Ole Christian MadsenOle Christian MadsenOle Christian Madsen is a Danish film director and script writer, responsible for several movies and TV series that has achieved success in Denmark. Among the most successful projects are the movies Flammen og Citronen, Prague, Nordkraft and the TV series Rejseholdet and Edderkoppen...
(1993) - Reza ParsaReza ParsaReza Parsa is a Swedish film director. At the age of 22 he was admitted to the 4-year directing program at the legendary National Film School of Denmark and directed the most award winning graduation film, Never , in the history of the school.To date Reza Parsa has won more than 30 national and...
, (1991–95) - Dagur KáriDagur KáriDagur Kári is an Icelandic film director.He was born in Paris, France to Icelandic parents and returned to Iceland when he was 3 years old. Dagur graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1999, with art house short movie Lost Weekend...
, director (1999) - Pernille Fischer ChristensenPernille Fischer ChristensenPernille Fischer Christensen is a Danish film director and the older sister of actor Stine Fischer Christensen. She started out in the movie business when she was 20 years old as an assistant to Tómas Gislason. During that time, Gislason was closely connected to Lars von Trier, and she got to...
(1999) - Christoffer BoeChristoffer BoeChristoffer Boe is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is an established and well-known not only in Denmark, but all through the world. Among his international awards there are FIPRESCI Director of the Year at San Sebastián International Film Festival and Golden Camera at Cannes Film...
, director (2001) - Daniel EspinosaDaniel EspinosaJorge Daniel Espinosa is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm. He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001. His third feature film, Easy Money, was the Swedish film with most admissions in Sweden in 2010.-Filmography: I Country of the majority production...
, director (2001) - Eva MulvadEva MulvadEva Mulvad is a Danish documentaries film director. She graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2001. Eva is a director of documentaries for DR TV since 1997....
, director (2001) - Anders MorgenthalerAnders MorgenthalerAnders Morgenthaler is a Danish comics artist, children's book author, and film director.-Biography:Morgenthaler is a graduate of Designskolen Kolding and the National Film School of Denmark...
, animation director - Anders AugustAnders AugustAnders Frithiof August is a Danish screenwriter, graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2007.He wrote the short film The Pig, that was nominated for an Oscar in 2009...
, screenwriter (2007)