Master of Fine Arts Programme in Film
Summary
This international master’s programme prepares you to develop an independent and inquiry-led film practice. In this programme, you are encouraged to critically engage with the world through your work and to cultivate a socially and politically conscious approach to the medium. During your education, you will also explore how interdisciplinary dialogues can enrich your practice. With students from diverse backgrounds, you'll engage in peer-to-peer learning, supported by experienced faculty, skilled technicians, and excellent facilities.
About
This master’s programme fosters a culture of curiosity, inquiry and exploration. At its core, it encourages you to explore how filmmaking can be used to understand and engage with the world and the unique possibilities that the film medium offers in this endeavour. It emphasises the entanglement of thinking and making.
Balancing inquiry and craft in film education
While the programme supports an inquiry-led and interdisciplinary approach, it simultaneously and vigorously encourages experimentation with film grammar and the power of images to activate people’s self-perception and perception of their world. This harmony between inquiry-led film education and a focus on craft is one of the programme's biggest strengths.
Focus on criticality and reflections
This master’s empowers you to become critical and independent filmmakers. It does so by structuring it around a series of conceptual, ethical, methodological, and aesthetic propositions. These propositions are valuable across genres and paired with practical film exercises, encouraging you to explore and experiment with them. Another vital element of the programme is the peer-to-peer learning environment in which you cultivate the ability to critically engage with both your own work and that of others.
Development of inquiry-led individual film project
The programme is structured to gradually guide you to develop your own inquiries, identify and reflect on relevant resources, and practically execute your ideas in the form of a graduation project. Throughout the programme, you will also engage with questions of audience, dissemination, and public and professional film contexts.
Technical and production-related support
As an integral part of the learning experience, you will participate in both in-house and guest-led sessions on various technical and logistical aspects of filmmaking, covering pre-production, production, and post-production.
Extensive network and collaborations
Situated in the Film, Photography and Literary Composition unit, the programme benefits from an integrated environment that fosters interdisciplinary dialogues. It also draws strength from HDK-Valand's artistic research platform PARSE and institutional partnerships, including L’Internationale Online and the Centre for Art and Political Imaginary. Film students participate in CPH-Dox Academy in their first year and engage with the Gothenburg Film Festival in their second. Mobility opportunities with Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, as well as a partnership with Vitlycke Centre for Performing Arts, enrich students' interdisciplinary experiences. The programme is part of KONSTFORSK, offering immersive experiences on Nordic islands, and is affiliated with GEECT, the European branch of CILECT, the International Association of Film and Television Schools.
Learn more about the staff: Jyoti Mistry, Ram Krishna Ranjan, Mirka Duijn, Klara Björk, Ruben Östlund, Anne Hovad Fischer and Amra Heco.
Programme structure and content
The first two semesters introduce a wide range of theoretical, artistic, and filmic propositions to expand your understanding of film practices. Through practical exercises and discussions, you are invited to explore and experiment with these propositions. In addition, you are introduced to various modes and methods of inquiry-led film practices. In the second semester, you take an elective course in which students from different subjects meet. Throughout the first year of education, you keep developing individual inquiries with structured pedagogical support.
In the third semester, you plan, develop, and make an inquiry-led film for public screening. Alongside helping you hone your skills in production, teaching also focuses on critical reflections on the chosen subject matter, including ethical, methodological, and aesthetic considerations. In the final semester, you write a reflective essay on your independent film project. This semester also focuses on the dissemination and communication of completed audiovisual works in public contexts and developing your knowledge of professional contexts.
Who should apply?
We encourage applicants with a strong interest in the social, political, and cultural contexts of our times, and a genuine curiosity for inquiry-led film education. This programme is for those who view film education as an invitation to broaden their perspectives on film practice as a mode of inquiry. It is not for those who see the school as simply a production house or studio to facilitate the completion of their pre-conceived projects. The programme values diverse educational backgrounds. Applicants do not necessarily need prior experience in film but must demonstrate high technical competency in image-making and a foundational understanding of film language.
Prerequisites and selection
Entry requirements
Bachelor's degree in film of at least 180 credits or equivalent. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School.
Portfolio
Find the portfolio instructions for the MFA programme in Film here:
More information about Portfolio
Selection
The selection is based on an assessment of submitted work samples and a personal interview.
After graduation
Graduates of the programme receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film.
Graduates of our programme pursue diverse careers – from professional careers in the industry to research and teaching. Many of our alumni work as independent filmmakers, and several recent graduates have secured funding to further develop their master’s projects. Our graduates have made a wide range of films, from documentaries and research-oriented films to fiction and experimental films, which have been screened at numerous international film festivals and galleries. Professional contacts created through the school have often proven to be long-lasting and fruitful and will assist you in developing your profile according to your interests and goals.
Facilities
In terms of facilities, you have access to a wide range of professional-grade resources, including cinema spaces, black box theatres, digital cameras, lights, sound equipments, editing suites, grading and sound mixing rooms, and workshop spaces. You can also access project spaces, well-equipped workshops, and student-run galleries.
