Danish DocuTurbulence

For our non-Danish readers: The two postings below in Danish language deal with a current scandal in Danish film administration. At least this is what it has been called. In brief: Danish film magazine EKKO publishes an article by journalist René Fredensborg. In this article Fredensborg refers, among other things, to his new carreer as applicant for support for a documentary at DFI (The Danish Film Institute). In gonzo journalistic style he describes his meeting with film consultant Jesper Jack at a project development seminar. After dinner the film consultant offers the applicant cocain which they enjoy together the whole night through. Ten months later the applicant goes public with that information, after he has received 200.000 Dkr (around €27000) for the development of the project. The film consultant is sacked and hell breaks loose over the insinuations in the article that film support is only given to and by people who have gone to the Danish Film School and are close pals.

Front page of the cultural section of the most important Danish newspaper, lots of discussion in the tabloid – and on filmkommentaren.dk below an article by former independent producer and production responsible at DFI, Mikael Opstrup, who, having been on both sides of the desk, rejects having experienced any kind of cronyism and nepotism. Plus a small PS by this blogger on the editorial line of a magazine, EKKO.

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Tue Steen Müller
Tue Steen Müller

Müller, Tue Steen
Documentary Consultant and Critic, DENMARK

Worked with documentary films for more than 20 years at the Danish Film Board, as press officer, festival representative and film consultant/commissioner. Co-founder of Balticum Film and TV Festival, Filmkontakt Nord, Documentary of the EU and EDN (European Documentary Network).
Awards: 2004 the Danish Roos Prize for his contribution to the Danish and European documentary culture. 2006 an award for promoting Portuguese documentaries. 2014 he received the EDN Award “for an outstanding contribution to the development of the European documentary culture”. 2016 The Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania. 2019 a Big Stamp at the 15th edition of ZagrebDox. 2021 receipt of the highest state decoration, Order of the Three Stars, Fourth Class, for the significant contribution to the development and promotion of Latvian documentary cinema outside Latvia. In 2022 he received an honorary award at DocsBarcelona’s 25th edition having served as organizer and programmer since the start of the festival.
From 1996 until 2005 he was the first director of EDN (European Documentary Network). From 2006 a freelance consultant and teacher in workshops like Ex Oriente, DocsBarcelona, Archidoc, Documentary Campus, Storydoc, Baltic Sea Forum, Black Sea DocStories, Caucadoc, CinéDOC Tbilisi, Docudays Kiev, Dealing With the Past Sarajevo FF as well as programme consultant for the festivals Magnificent7 in Belgrade, DOCSBarcelona, Verzio Budapest, Message2Man in St. Petersburg and DOKLeipzig. Teaches at the Zelig Documentary School in Bolzano Italy.

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