Mikael Opstrup: The Identity
Filmkommentaren has known Mikael Opstrup for (soon) decades. Mikael, as one who likes to write and reflect on the nature of the documentary genre, who has published numerous articles on this blog that was started by Allan Berg back in 2007 together with me. Allan worked at the Danish Film Institute with Mikael and they were in close contact until Allan passed away in 2024. For me Mikael has been a friend and collaborator in documentary events around the world, from Riga to Buenos Aires to Barcelona to Ramallah. The small picture above is from Ramallah, a meeeting in the street where the man to the right looking like Arafat asks the man to the left if he is https://filmkommentaren.dk/tutoring-at-copro-and-storydoc/ Jimmy Carter. Who am I? The Identity…
The photo was taken in 2012 by Emma Davie, Scottish filmmaker, who is one of the “11 Directors from 11 Countries” – the other 10 are Salomé Jashi (Georgia), Nishtha Jain (India), Göran Hugo Olsson (Sweden), Alan Berliner (USA), Diana El Jeiroudi (Germany/Syria), Eva Mulvad (Denmark), Aïcha Macky (Niger), Audrius Stonys (Lithuania), Maite Alberdi (Chile), Olha Zhurba.
These 11 were (quoted from Mikael’s website) “In early 2026… invited to reflect on their profession: how they see themselves as directors, how the process of becoming one unfolded, and what the work means to them. The result is THE IDENTITY…
What you will find are: Reasons for not calling oneself a director, Childhood memories that seem important today, The blessing of self-imposed obstacles, Regrets of choosing this profession, How drawings can replace words, Am I still a director if I don’t direct for a longer period? And so much more… Each chapter has two parts: the director’s own text, and a conversation with Mikael Opstrup, the initiator of the book.”
Initiator… come one Mikael, that´s too modest! I read the book from start till end, I know most of the directors, some like the word filmmaker much better, and it was wonderful reading. The texts of the directors of course often referring to their films are either very direct or reflective, philosophical – you have really given them a challenge, provoked them as one says AND I am impressed by the precise and interesting, sometimes painful, sometimes light and humorous conversations, you have performed with them.
It witnesses how well prepared you were, when you talked to them, obvious that you knew their works and have met them, at least most of them, on several documentary occasions. The meeting between you and the directors are far from being just another interview. Thanks for that!
For those who are going to acquire this MUST of a book on documentary – don´t read it all the same day. There´s so much to think about, to say it is rich is an understatement, chapeau to the directors/filmmakers for their openness – I started with two of my favorite directors, Salomé Jashi and Olha Zhurba, whose “Taming The Garden” and “Songs of Slow Burning Earth” are masterpieces in modern documentary. Salomé’s text is extraordinary, Olha´s conversation with Mikael likewise.
142 pages, layout: Petra Husum.
Get THE IDENTITY
1.
Website: https://mikaelopstrup.dk
Printed edition
and
E-book: Apple Books, Google Play & Amazon Kindle
2.
If you attend IDFA:
For sale at IDFA Guest Desk throughout the festival and at my Industry Session at IDFA: https://festival.idfa.nl/…/industry-session:-the…/
Here I will have a talk with two of the directors from the book, Scottish Emma Davie & Georgian Salomé Jashi.
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