Danish Film, Television and Streaming

The course gives a portrait of Denmark through its output of popular entertainment and high art within film, TV, and streaming.

Designed by Freepik

The course places internationally famous auteurs such as Carl Th. Dreyer, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg and Susanne Bier in their cultural context and present important genres such as youth film, realism, drama, comedy, pornography, and documentary. Denmark has always been internationally extremely mobile from the world domination of Nordisk Film studios during the silent period to the wildly successful sex comedies of the 1970s.

The recent successes of Nordic Noir and Danish TV and streaming series continue to make an extraordinary contribution to entertainment and art film, tv and streaming: Overwhelming success in recent years is witnessed by the many Emmy, BAFTA, Cannes, and Oscar wins. The course interrogates the role of screen sexuality, gender and racial representations, and cultural identity and it explores the role of film, TV, and streaming policy.

Course code: HDCB01133U
Credits: 15 ECTS
Duration: 1 semester
Available: Spring and autumn semester.

Note: Example – subject to change

Lecture Theme
Lecture 1 Dogma and Danish Film in an International Context
Screening and introduction: Kundskabens Træ (Tree of Knowledge)
Lecture 2 Youth film
Screening: Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Note: Contains violence)
Lecture 3 Danish Documentary Tradition
Screening Adams Æbler (Adams Apples) by Anders Thomas Jensen
Lecture 4 The Danish Comedy Tradition
Screening Små Ulykker (Small Accidents) by Annette K. Olesen
Lecture 5 Realism in Danish Cinema
Screening Kapringen (The Hijacking) Tobias Lindholm (Note: Contains violence)
Lecture 6 Danish drama tradition
Screening Mød mig på Cassiopeia (Meet Me on Cassiopeia) by Torben Anton Svendsen
Lecture 7 Sexual revolutions - Sexual liberation
Screening Riget/The Kingdom by Lars von Trier, Season 1, episode 1 and Broen The Bridge I/1 (Note: contains graphic violence)
Lecture 8 Danish Television/Streaming Drama
Screening Europa by Lars von Trier (Note: contains graphic violence and nightmarish imagery)
Excursion Cinemateket/Library introduction
Lecture 9 Art-film: von Trier, Carl Th. Dreyer and Benjamin Christensen
Screening Hvidstengruppen by Anne-Grethe Bjarup Riis
Lecture 10 High Culture Low Culture
Screening Speak no Evil by Christian Tafdrup (Note: Contains graphic violence, portrays harm to children and nightmarish imagery)
Lecture 11 Horror, action, sci-fi
Lecture 12 Summary and exam workshop