Documentary Film

The goal of the major in Documentary Film is to form innovative, critical, and analytical documentary filmmakers for both the national and international arenas. The students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the history and conventions documentary filmmaking. Moreover, the program will encourage students to engage future perspectives of documentary filmmaking as a storytelling, art and research form.Students will be able to develop their artistic and research skills through creative enquiry, practice and collaboration. They will be able to combine practical mastery and conceptual thinking, increasing their professional competence and situating them at the forefront of the documentary filmmaking field. In addition to the teamwork skills essential to the job description, studies emphasize the importance of personal time management and stress tolerance.Developers of the field. The goal of the Documentary Film major is to train visionary documentary film directors and creative professionals who will contribute to the development of the field and its possibilities. Students will deepen their powers of observation, storytelling, and artistic expression. They will develop their own style as documentary film directors through workshop courses and filmmaking exercises.Artistic Research. Our MA students achieve excellence in professional practice and a deeper engagement with groundbreaking artistic research methodologies. Students will experiment with contemporary expressions in the genre and engage with the history, theory and ethics of documentary film, developing research methodologies to be applied in their artistic practice. The possibility of directing a MA diploma film provides an important framework for students to enhance their professional skills and take part in developing documentary conventions.Multiple viewpoints. The Documentary Film major invites numerous visiting lectures and artists, both from Finland and abroad, who offer multiple viewpoints to our students and enrich their learning experiences. Students have frequent interactions with film professionals, artists and companies throughout their studies, which help them to build knowledge of the film landscape and networks, both nationally and internationally. Through their filmmaking exercises, students develop their collaboration skills and their capacities to work in teams.Students have also the possibility of producing graduation films along established production companies as well as getting mentorship from industry professionals. These meaningful interactions with professionals prepare our students for entering the professional field after, and even during, their studies.Please see the intended learning outcomes of the study option at the Programme page.