Film as Essay

In this first student event of the lectorate FILM we will introduce our activities and our programme of screenings, lectures and discussions. We will explain what the lectorate FILM stands for and explore what we can do for students who are interested in film and for students who make work by conducting research through moving images.

The main part of the event is a lecture. With films and fragments Erik will shed a light on ways of filmmaking that are personal and reflective, and combine factual representation with fictional narrative. He will discuss how so-called essay films differ from classical documentaries. He will examine questions about representation and truth in films, which imply questions about the use of imagination and poetry. An intriguing question, which is at the core of the interests of the lectorate, is this one: are films, as some theorists say, able to think? A little less ambitious is this one: how can films stimulate spectators to think?

The lecture will be completed by screenings of short films and video works by Agnes Varda, Hito Steyerl, The Otolith Group and Camille Henrot. Fragments will be shown from films by Auguste & Louis Lumière, Robert Flaherty, Dziga Vertov, Chris Marker and others.

To celebrate this first FILM event we will have drinks after the lecture.

Thanks to everyone for joining!