National Film School of Denmark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Film School of Denmark is a state school, financially supported by the Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The school was founded in 1966 by Theodor Christensen and is situated on the small island of Frederiksholm in the harbour of Copenhagen.

There are four study programmes available: film, 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.

Famous alumni directors include: Bille August(graduated as a photographer), Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Susanne Bier, Christoffer Boe, Ole Christian Madsen and Pernille Fischer Christensen, among others.