International Symposium/Masterclasses on Editing Documentaries
In documentary filmmaking, the editing room is where the story truly takes shape. Documentaries are rarely dictated by a strict script, instead reality is interpreted on new through the editing. Meet award winning editors from Denmark and abroad as they share their experiences, methods, and perspectives on editing documentaries through a series of talks and masterclasses.
Over two days in October, we invite you to attend masterclasses and conversations with both national and international guests, offering insights into the creative work behind editing documentaries.
Program and time schedule:
Friday, October 24: Film screenings
19:00 The Helsinki Effect
21:00 Trains
Saturday, October 25:
09:00-10:00: Welcome
10:00-17:30: Talks and masterclasses
18:00: Dinner
Sunday, October 26:
09:00-10:00: Welcome
10:00-15:00: Talks and masterclasses
The full program and speaker lineup will be announced later this autumn.
Masterclasses:
More to be announced
Found footage / Archive films I - The Helsinki Effect – with Arthur Franck & Markus Leppälä
Director Arthur Franck and editor Markus Leppälä take you behind the scenes of The Helsinki Effect, an archive-driven documentary built from over 100 hours of footage. In this masterclass, they'll share their collaborative approach to shaping archival material, the use of AI-generated voices, and how humor and experimentation play a central role in their storytelling. They'll open the door to their editing room and the creative process that brought the film to life.
Found footage / Archive films II - Trains – with Rafal Listopad
The documentary film Trains is a found-footage work that creates a collective portrait of 20th-century Europe through people's hopes, sufferings, and wars. In this masterclass, editor Rafal Listopad shares his method for building the film's narrative structure and rhythm—all without the use of voice-over or dialogue. He will also discuss his collaboration with director Maciej J. Drygas, their unique editing process, and the ten-year journey of making the film.
Rafal Listopad has previously worked with Drygas on the films Violated Letters and One Day in People's Poland. He also teaches editing at the Łódź Film School and won the award for Best Editing at IDFA 2024 for his work on Trains.
Homo Editorius – The Editor as Human with Maya Daisy Hawke & Joe Bini
Veteran editors Maya Daisy Hawke and Joe Bini turn the lens on themselves, exploring what it means to live behind the screen while shaping other people’s stories. Through personal videos, photographs, and excerpts from past collaborations with directors like Werner Herzog and Lynne Ramsay, they reveal the emotional, artistic, and psychological dimensions of editing.
In this live cinematic dialogue, the editing process remains open-ended, exposing the conflicting perspectives usually hidden from the audience and inviting us to see the editor not just as a craftsperson, but as a whole human being.
What will you learn?
The symposium will delve into two key areas of documentary film editing:
Documentary films based on existing footage/found footage
The complex work of reconstructing archival material through a contemporary lens makes archive films a kind of Formula 1 of editing, where the entire narrative is crafted in the edit room. We gather the editors behind some of the most skillfully constructed archive documentaries to share their experiences.
Development of documentary films
The process of financing and shooting a documentary film can span several years. Producers, directors, and editors often develop the projects collaboratively. We’ll explore this often lengthy journey and discuss new approaches to development.
Who should attend?
This symposium is designed for editors, documentarians, and anyone interested in learning more about the editing process or gaining new perspectives on the development and creation of documentary films. Talks and masterclasses will be conducted in English.
Application process
Tickets are bought via billetto.
Workshop participants, who work professionally in the Danish film industry, can apply for financial funding from the Danish Film Institutes pool for continuous training and competence development. The funding is for those, who work or have worked professionally in the Danish film industry and the people who have a relevant education in film production.
The institute funds course fees up to DKK 25.000. Deadline 2th of September. You can find further information here.
In collaboration with Dansk Filmklipperselskab
With support from Nordisk Film Fonden and DFI Filmfremme
For further information, contact
