Preliminary Syllabus
European Documentary Film
Semester and Year: Fall & Spring
Location: Copenhagen
Home academic program: European Humanities
Credits: 3
Major Disciplines: Film Studies, Media Studies, Visual Arts
Instructor: Morten Egholm
Ph. D., Film Studies, University of Copenhagen, 2009. Cand. mag., Scandinavian Studies, Film and Media
Theory, University of Copenhagen, 1997. Associate professor, Danish Language, Literature and Culture,
University of Groningen, The Netherlands, 2002-2006. Has written several articles in Danish, English and
Dutch on film history, Danish literature, Danish mentality, and Danish TV series. Currently also lecturing at
the Film and Media Department at University of Copenhagen. Editor of the film journal Kosmorama. With
DIS since 2008, since January 2012 as full time faculty.
Course Description:
Documentary films are gaining more critical and commercial prominence these years, especially the ones
increasingly pushing the boundaries of fact and fiction. While the ideal of earlier documentary films most
often has been objectivity, modern documentary filmmakers more deliberately choose to distort this credo
to offer new ways of interpreting reality. Focusing on European documentary film and some of its most
prominent contemporary names, this course provides an in-depth understanding of the theory, genre and
ethical considerations of documentary films, with an emphasis on films with a poetic self-reflective
approach and films blurring the border between fact and fiction. As a substantial part of this course,
students will work in groups throughout the semester to develop and produce their own small-scale
documentary film.
In the analytical part of the course we will analyze works by directors such as Werner Herzog, Ulrich Seidl,
Lucy Walker, Pirjo Honkasalo, Josha Oppenheimer, Janus Metz, Anders Østergaard, and Jon Bang Carlsen.
In the production, you are expected to apply and reflect on the use of the theories read and works analyzed
in class. The production is linked to a short paper explaining the choices made and the aesthetic/narrative
tools used in the production and a presentation of the production in class where you explain these
elements to your fellow students.
Field Studies
In fall semesters, we will attend the CPH: DOX, Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival. Both
semesters will feature one or more Director’s Talk with an experienced filmmaker.
This syllabus is subject to change.
European Documentary Film | DIS
Preliminary Syllabus
Evaluation:
Short paper, theoretical-analytical, based on work analyzed in class (4-5 pages)
20 %
Midterm, focusing on the course’s theoretical-analytical part
20 %
Production (5 minutes long)
30 %
Short paper on the production
15 %
Participation
15 %
This syllabus is subject to change.
European Documentary Film | DIS