The National Film School of Denmark ( da, Den Danske Filmskole) 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 Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

History

The National Danish Film School was established in 1966 under the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute ( da, Det Danske Filminstitut) is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. Also known as ''Filmhuset'' ("the film ...

with 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.

Courses

There are seven study programmes available: fiction directing, documentary directing, cinematography, script writing, editing, sound, animation and games directing, and film producing. 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 animation and games directing course which lasts 4½ years. The school is an art school but practical knowledge is also very important. The teaching programme is a mixture of

theoretical A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

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 headed the school between 1992 and 2014, when film editor took over. 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.

Rectors

Alumni

Åke Sandgren Åke Sandgren (born 13 May 1955) 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 Sandgren studied Film Science and Phil ...

(1982) *

Amanda Kernell Amanda Kernell (; born 9 September 1986) is a Swedish, Southern Sami director and screenwriter. She is best known for the movie ''Sami Blood'', which won several awards. Biography Amanda Kernell was born in Umeå. In her early teens, she devote ...

* Anders August (2007) * Anders Morgenthaler (2002) *

Anders Refn Anders Refn (born 8 April 1944) is a Danish film editor and director. Biography Refn graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 1969. He has credits for 72 features and TV series, as well as a 10 shorts and 26 documentaries. Refn ...

(1969) *

Anthony Dod Mantle Anthony Dod Mantle, (born 14 April 1955) is a British cinematographer and still photographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography, BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for ''Slum ...

(1989) *

Bille August Bille August (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed co ...

(1973, graduated as cinematographer) * (1989) *

Christian Holten Bonke Christian Holten Bonke (born 13 August 1973) is a Danish documentary filmmaker and screenwriter. He has directed music videos, commercials and documentary series for television, most recently ''Uffe’s Alternative.'' (2 episodes, DR 2015). He ...

(2005) *

Christoffer Boe Christoffer Boe (born 1974) 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 ...

(2001) *

Dagur Kári Dagur Kári (born Dagur Kári Pétursson; 12 December 1973) is an Icelandic film director. Early life and education He was born in Paris, France, to Icelandic parents. The family returned to Iceland when he was 3 years old. After attending loca ...

(1999) *

Daniel Espinosa Jorge Daniel Espinosa (born 23 March 1977) is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm, of Chilean origin. Early life He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001. Career His third feature film, '' Easy Mone ...

(2003) *

Eva Mulvad Eva Mulvad (born 1972) is a Danish documentary film director. She graduated from the National Film School of Denmark in 2001. Eva is a director of documentaries for DR TV since 1997. In 2006 she received IDFA Silver Wolf Award and World Cinema ...

(2001) * Jonas Elmer (1995) *

Katrin Ottarsdóttir Katrin Ottarsdóttir (born 1957) is a Faroese movie director and author. Biography Katrin Ottarsdóttir was born in Tórshavn. While growing up in the Faroes, she did not have television available to her, but enjoyed cinema. She went to Denmark ...

Kim Fupz Aakeson Kim Fupz Aakeson (born 12 September 1958, Copenhagen) is a Danish writer, illustrator and screenwriter. Selected filmography References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aakeson, Kim Fupz 1958 births 20th-century Danish male w ...

(1996) *

Krass Clement Krass Clement Kay Christensen (born 15 March 1946) 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 øjeb ...

(1978) *

Lars Von Trier Lars von Trier ('' né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nomina ...

(1982) *

Lisa Aschan Daria Sofia Elisabeth (Lisa) Aschan (born 28 February 1978) is a Swedish film director and screenwriter. Early life Aschan grew up on a farm in Vejbystrand. At the age of twelve, she moved to Gothenburg and then studied at a boarding school ...

Lone Scherfig Lone Scherfig (; born 2 May 1959) is a Danish film director and screenwriter who has been involved with the Dogme 95 film movement and who has been widely critically acclaimed for several of her movies, including the Oscar-nominated film '' An ...

(1984) *

Manuel Alberto Claro Manuel Alberto Claro (born 3 April 1970) is a Chilean-Danish cinematographer, filmmaker, and still photographer. He has won numerous accolades, including two Robert Awards, a Bodil Award, and a European Film Award. Life and career Manuel Al ...

(2001) *

May el-Toukhy May el-Thouky (born 17 August 1977 in Charlottenlund, Denmark) is a Danish-Egyptian film director. She graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in 2002, and later as a film director from the National Film School of Denmark in ...

(2009) *

Niels Arden Oplev Niels Arden Oplev (; born 26 March 1961) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Life and career Oplev was born in Oue, Denmark. His 1996 film ''Portland (film), Portland'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. He d ...

(1989) *

Ole Christian Madsen Ole Christian Madsen (born 18 June 1966) is a Danish film director and script writer. Among his most successful projects are the movies ''Flame & Citron'', '' Prag'', '' Angels in Fast Motion'' ( da. ''Nordkraft'') and the TV series '' Rejseholde ...

(1993) *

Per Fly Per Fly Plejdrup (born 14 January 1960) is a Danish film director, generally credited simply as Per Fly. He has made many films and television shows broadcast on Danish television. Per Fly's awards includes the Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize ...

(1993) * Pernille Fischer Christensen (1999) *

Peter Flinth Peter Flinth (born 7 November 1964) is a Danish film director. Early life and education Peter Flinth was born on 7 November 1964 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied film studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1984-86 and was educated on the ...

(1993) * (2003) * Reza Parsa (1995) *

Rumle Hammerich Jens Peter Hammerich, better known as Rumle Hammerich (born 16 November 1954), is a Danish film director, screenwriter and film company director. He is currently creative director at Nordisk Film. His filmography consists of both feature film ...

(1979) * Sami Saif (1997) *

Susanne Bier Susanne Bier (; born 15 April 1960) is a Danish filmmaker. She is best known for her feature films '' Brothers'' (2004), '' After the Wedding'' (2006), ''In a Better World'' (2010), and '' Bird Box'' (2018), and the TV miniseries ''The Night Man ...

(1987) *

Thomas Vinterberg Thomas Vinterberg (; born 19 May 1969) 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. He is best known for the films ''The Celeb ...

(1993) *

Tobias Lindholm Tobias Lindholm (born 5 July 1977) is a Danish screenwriter and film director. His 2015 directed film ''A War'' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to ''A War'', he has directed the films '' R'' (2010), ...

(2007) * Vladimir Oravsky (1982)

References

External links

* {{authority control Higher education in Copenhagen

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