Kovalenko, Andersen, Stefani

And now words about the new photos on top of this site, www.filmkommentaren.dk.

I have mentioned the three by their last name. I could also have chosen to name them by first names:

Alisa, Niels, Eva. That’s how I address them, when we meet at festivals.

They have in common that they make creative documentaries or call it artistic documentaries, where the personal stamp is visible. The kind of films that we have written about on this site. Our priority, simply, since Allan Berg in 2007 called me and asked if we could make a film blog together. Allan died in March 2024 and left more than 1000 texts that are available on the site.

From the right:

EVA STEFANI who became a very good friend of Allan, who adored her way of making films. Eva is Greek, has made films in all durations, a true “auteur”, who refrains from being in the spotlight and has never wished to be on the red carpet. She studied in England, at the National Film School, she is influenced by Direct Cinema, but she has also made films that experiment with the medium, like “Acropolis” that was not liked by the official Greece. 3 of her films have been reviewed on this site: “The Box”, “Days and Nights with Dimitra K.” and “Bull´s Heart” that premiered this year in Thessaloniki.

NIELS PAGH ANDERSEN who is considered to be one of the world’s leading editors of documentaries. A true auteur yes, but also a storyteller. His last name is Andersen like Hans Christian. His book “Order in Chaos” is read and appreciated here, there and everywhere. He has a long filmography of Danish films, the two made with Joshua Oppenheimer, “Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence” stand out, but let me stay with some foreign titles, “Outside” that he made with Ukrainian Olha Zhurba, the many films where he assisted Chinese artist Ai WeiWei, the masterpiece of Pirjo Honkasalo, “Three Rooms of Melancholia”. Niels is a traveler, he has done consultancy, workshops and masterclasses in Calcutta, Togo (!), Jordan and many other places, recently he was in Kyiv for DocuDays.

ALISA KOVALENKO filmmaker and soldier, personal stories, emotional and engaged, and brave when you think about her latest film, “My Dear Théo”, a visual letter to her son, sent from the frontline. The film before, “We will not Fade Away”, introduce with warmth Andriy, Liza, Lera, Ruslan, Illia, who take photos, make music, repair and build motorbikes, plan to be an actor, they have fun as teenagers have and should have… Where are they now, I ask myself, are they soldiers, are they in another country? Alisa also made a fine film “Home Games” about a girl, who likes to play football but also has “a job” at home taking care of her siblings, when her mother dies and the father is an alcoholic.

To the trio: If there is a photo credit to the photo I have chosen, please tell me.