C ENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE LIAISON DES ECOLES DE CINÉMA ET DE TÉLÉVISION January 2002 Issue No 35 Hrvoje Turkovič , ADU, Zagreb Theory for Film Schools Conference in Ljubljana Cilect Project Kalos k’Agathos.................................. 1 AGRFT, Ljubljana...................................................... 2 UIAH, Helsinki .......................................................... 6 Stanford University................................................... 9 IFSW, Wales.............................................................. 11 Den Norske Filmskolen ............................................. 13 NFTS, UK, Selection Procedure ................................ 15 UFVA ........................................................................ 17 News from Schools ................................................... 18 New Technology Update........................................... 22 Conference organizer Igor Koršič, AGRFT . Page 2 January 2002 CILECT News No 35 Self-Portrait Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, Ljubljana Miran Zupanič, Dean Igor Šmid, Head Film Department Igor Koršič is now the retaining unique requirements in the Academy of The third programme has a similar artistic fields with artistic works Theatre, structure, but with the distinction taking the place of a doctoral-level What Radio, Film that the theory and history of film programme. and Television (AGRFT) was and directing for film and television founded as a school for actors by Studies at AGRFT comprise four (camera, editing and set design) Slovene partisans after the libera- independent programmes, offering a receive special emphasis. tion, in Autumn 1945, as the Acad- university degree: l. acting, includ- Studies in the fourth programme are emy of Acting Arts. It was the first ing recitation; 2. directing for thea- devoted to the theory and history of institution in Slovenia devoted to tre and radio; 3. directing for film drama, theatre, radio, film and tele- the systematic education of theatre and television; 4. dramaturgy vision. actors, directors and dramaturgs at The first programme focuses on the the university level. Training of this In all four programmes, theory re- basics of acting and recitation, and nature was earlier limited only to mains closely linked to direct, crea- is taught in conjunction with impor- rare and generally one-off pragmatic tive work of the students in theatres, tant practical subjects, including courses lacking a complex theoreti- radio, film and television. The Slovene for the stage, breathing and cal, research, artistic and educa- Academy is devoting ever greater speaking techniques, the art of tional concept, or to a few individu- attention to individual study, re- movement, dance, acrobatics, fenc- als studying abroad. search work and experimentation, ing and make-up, and with the theo- to the promotion of a willingness to The development of modern audio- retical subjects of the history of take the initiative and, later, a grad- visual media soon dictated the world and Slovene drama, the his- ual, greater independence, both in Academy of Acting Arts to broaden tory of the theatre and of basic the artistic as well as in the aca- the scope of its programme beyond dramaturgy. demic, research tasks of the stu- theatre to include radio and film, In the second programme, students dents. and later, also television. Thus, in examine practical and theoretical 1963 the institution was renamed Particularly in its practical seminars issues of directing for the theatre the Academy of Theatre, Radio, on the arts, the Academy has been and radio, which are then related to Film and Television (AGRFT). developing an expanded and sys- Slovene for the stage, dramaturgy During its first thirty years, AGRFT tematic “mentor model”, that from and the history of drama and thea- functioned as an independent uni- the outset reject the concept of “the tre, and to the basics of acting, set versity-level institution; in 1975 it master workshop”, in which the design, costumography. In the proc- was incorporated into the Univer- professor's role is authoritarian. ess, students are gradually intro- sity of Ljubljana, taking on equal Seminars are shaped as a forum for duced to independent directing criteria for theoretical subjects while work. (Continued on page 3) CILECT NEWS No 35 January 2002 Page 3 The Department of Film and Televi- sion The achievements of the department of film and television directing have not been any less important or influ- ential. In this critical period for the Slovene cinema, the Academy has remained almost the only Slovene institution which has been continu- ally and systematically developing film production although in the lim- ited scope of studies and with im- mense organizational and financial difficulties. In such a situation, co- operation with the Ministry of Cul- ture and especially national tele- vision plays the most important role. During this time, as part of seminars in scenography and direct- ing, the students have filmed a large number of short documentary and Dreaming of the Ljubljana film school? acted films, many of which have (Continued from page 2) Thus it comes as no surprise that the matured beyond the scope of ordi- dialogue, which the student enters, regular, public productions put on nary student assignments and be- so to speak, as the professor's equal. by senior students of acting and come established at home and The essence of these studies does theatre directing, as well as pro- abroad - at prominent film festivals not lie in the imitation of already grammes and films broadcast on in Munich, Oberhausen, Karlovy- established “poetics”, nor in the national radio and television, repre- Vary, Tel Aviv, London, Los Ange- “producing” of young epigones, but sent - both internally and externally les, Angers, and elsewhere - as indi- in the education of open and inven- - a particularly exciting and fruitful vidual creations of unquestionable tive authors. form of the students' class-related interest and promise. The prizes activities. This allows the study won by students during the past few In recent years, Academy studies in process to experience direct verifica- years at various Slovene and foreign the form of open dialogue have be- tion in the public's and critics' eyes. film events bear witness to this. Stu- come increasingly predominant. It should also be mentioned that dents have established a noticeable This should be stressed as the Acad- overall, this publicity has been a presence at international festivals, emy includes the most prominent positive experience. where they have often received and active artists in contemporary awards: at the once well-known Slovene theatre, radio, film and tele- festival of short and documentary vision. And just as the professors of film in Belgrade, the international performing subjects have figured among the authors of the most im- portant theatre, radio, film and tele- vision performances in Slovenia in recent years - as directors, actors, set designers, costume designers, cam- eramen, or others - so the instruc- tors in the dramaturgic department have always been among the lead- ing Slovene critics and literary and theatre historians. This implies that at AGRFT the practical - creative - work in studies has been gaining increasing empha- sis in the form of well-rounded thea- tre productions, films and television programmes. Students of drama- turgy, the only completely theoreti- cal programme at AGRFT, also take part in this work, adding their unique input while working with a mentor. Come on... this is cannot be the Ljubljana film school Page 4 January 2002 CILECT News No 35 festival of film schools in Munich, Janos Hersko are some among an anthology of written student at the international film and video prominent filmmakers that have papers ispublished since they are festival for young people, the held seminars for our students. centered on different aspects of the “Juvenale” in Klagenfurt, Austria, same subject. Theoretical studies The curriculum of the school is of a at the “Premiers Plans” festival in are dominated by interpretation central European conservatory Angers, France, and elsewhere. exercises, broadly speaking in the style. Besides practical work, stu- hermeneutical tradition (with For the moment the film depart- dents pursue studies in numerous theoretical references to Ricoeur, ment offers four years of studies in general and theoretical subjects, Barthes, Deleuze, Bazin, Dufrene, film directing and the possibility of history of theatre, history of drama, Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, etc.). post graduate studies in film history history of film, theory of film, phi- Post-graduate studies are likely to and theory. Expansion of the de- losophy, sociology, psychology, etc. follow this tradition too. partment with the possibilities of The first two years in film directing specialized studies in editing, script- are devoted to the documentary and The department of film and TV at writing, producing and cinematog- the last two to fiction film. In the the University of Ljubljana is at raphy is under consideration. first year the students do a number the moment central in the research of exercises in acting for the camera, in film and TV. The department Each year two to four students are mise en scène, framing, editing, houses a videotheque with most admitted in film directing after pass- cinematography using video, as well important films in film history. An international research project “Framing in Cinematography” will be housed