Mikael Bertelsen på plejehjem

The following is a praise of Danish journalist Mikael Bertelsen, who has made several socially orientated, excellent tv and radio programmes for DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). Here – in Danish language – some words about his newest radio documentary, in 6 parts, from a nursing home for old people in Copenhagen.

Radiodokumentar er ikke noget, (film)kommentaren har skrevet meget om. Men efter en time med Mikael Bertelsen på P1, på plejehjemmet Sølund i København, ryger det bare ud af munden: Hold kæft, hvor er det godt. Det var afsnit 2 af 6, de kan alle sammen høres på nettet (se nedenfor), hvert afsnit kan stå alene, ihvertfald dette nummer 2, hvor Bertelsen bevæger sig rundt i hus B (hvor de demente bor) og i hus A, hvor beboerne stadig har tankens klarhed, men er fysisk afhængig af hjælp. Bertelsen har den sjældne evne at kunne lytte og gribe fat i de formuleringer, som de gamle kommer med og bortset fra et par underholdende bemærkninger om kvaliteten af måltidet (gule ærter med medister), strømmer der fine og kloge reflektioner fra beboerne i både hus A og B. Konstant placeret i den ramme at plejehjemmet er sidste station. Det handler jo om at leve, siger en klog dame til Bertelsen, ikke blot om at eksistere!

Og Bertelsen evner pausen og taler aldrig ned, han taler med. Og han har som alle gode dokumentarister nysgerrigheden i behold, interessen for de mennesker, han opsøger.

http://www.dr.dk/P1/Serier/Plejehjem/20110718105212.htm

Still: Mikael Bertelsen, da han var på pilgrimsvandring. Fra dr.dk

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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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