Name: International Documentary Editing Symposium
Start: 2025-10-24T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-10-26T16:00:00+02:00
Location: Den Danske Filmskole

International Documentary Editing Symposium at the National Film School
In the world of documentary film, the editing room is where the story truly takes shape. There is rarely a fixed script—instead, reality is shaped anew through the editing process. Meet award-winning editors from Denmark and abroad as they share their methods and experiences in a series of talks and masterclasses, revealing how they craft the documentary narrative.
Over two days in October, we invite you to attend masterclasses and talks with national and international guests who will offer insights into the creative wjork behind the creation of documentary films. The full program will be announced on an ongoing basis.
The program will be held in English.
Program
Friday, October 24: Film Screenings
7:00 PM: The Helsinki Effect
9:00 PM: Trains
Saturday, October 25
j9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Welcome
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM: Talks and Masterclasses
6:00 PM: Dinner
Sunday, October 26
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Welcome
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM: Talks and Masterclasses
Masterclasses
Found Footage / Archive Films I - The Helsinki Effect - with Arthur Franck & Markus Leppälä Director and editor Arthur Franck and editor Markus Leppälä take you behind the scenes of The Helsinki Effect, a documentary edited from archive material and built on over 100 hours of footage. In this masterclass, they will share their collaborative approach to shaping archive material, using AI-generated voices, and how humor and experimentation play a central role in their storytelling. They will open the door to their editing room and the creative process that brought the film to life.
Found Footage / Archive Films II - Trains - with Rafal Listopad The documentary film Trains is a found-footage work that provides a collective portrait of 20th-century Europe through people's hopes, suffering, and wars. In this masterclass, editor Rafal Listopad will share his method for building the film's narrative structure and rhythm—without the use of voice-over or dialogue. He will also discuss his collaboration with director Maciej J. Drygas and their unique editing process during the ten-year journey of making the film. Rafal Listopad has previously worked with Drygas on the films Violated Letters and One Day in People's Poland. He also teaches editing at the Łódź Film School and won the Best Editing award at IDFA 2024 for his work on Trains.
Homo Editorius - The Editor as Human with Maya Daisy Hawke & Joe Bini Experienced editors Maya Daisy Hawke and Joe Bini turn the lens on themselves to explore what it means to live behind the screen while shaping the stories of others. Through personal videos, photographs, and excerpts from past collaborations with directors like Werner Herzog and Lynne Ramsay, they illuminate the emotional, artistic, and psychological dimensions of editing. In this live dialogue, the editing process remains open, and the conflicting perspectives normally hidden from the public are brought to light. We are invited to see the editor not just as a craftsman but as a complete human being.
What You Will Learn
This symposium will dive particularly deep into two disciplines of documentary film editing.
Documentary Films Based on Existing Footage / Found Footage The work of deconstructing and rebuilding film sources from a contemporary perspective makes archive film a kind of editing Formula 1, where the entire film's narrative is created in the editing room. We will gather editors from some of the most expertly constructed archive films to share their experiences.
Development of Documentary Films The process of funding and filming documentaries can span several years. Producers, directors, and editors often develop projects collaboratively. We will thoroughly examine this often-protracted process and discuss new ways of development.
Who Is This Course For?
This symposium is created for editors, documentary filmmakers, and other film proffessionels interested in learning more about the process in the editing room or gaining new perspectives on the development and creation of documentary films.